Passion Brews at Pittsburgh Equal Pay Day Rally

Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA of Pittsburgh Magdeline Jensen speaks

at the Equal Pay Day Rally in Market Square, Pittsburgh on April 12. Photo By Matt Petras

With music like “She Works Hard for the Money” blaring from speakers, a diverse crowd gathered in Market Square, Pittsburgh on Wednesday, April 13th for the “Equal Pay Day Rally.” Many speakers were welcomed to the podium from both the public and private sector to discuss not just the pay gap but other issues as well, like racial disparity and minimum wage legislation.

All this activity coincided with Equal Pay Day.

“I gotta be honest with you, I wasn't sure how to address you guys today. I mean, how do you address a group of people gathering to right a wrong as outrageous and unnecessary as a wage gap?” Southwest Director for PA Governor Tom Wolfe Erin Molchany said in her speech. “It’s 2016!”

According to the American Association of University Women, women in the United States on average make 79% of what men make; the specific number for Pennsylvania happens to be the same figure. The figures are less favorable for black and Hispanic women, the former making around 64% and the latter around 54% of what white men make for the same work.

The event was organized by the Women and Girls’ Foundation (WGF). Ciera Marie Young was the first and last speaker as well as the woman who introduced each of the speakers who followed.

Public servants who work with Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto, such as Chief Executive of Allegheny County Rich Fitzgerald, Chief Administration Officer Debbie Lestitian, and City Councilman Dan Gilman spoke at the event.

Fitzgerald explained that Pittsburgh will host a “National League of Cities” event on November 16-19, with mayors from around the country.

“It’s going to be right after the presidential election, so the president is going to come here and it’s going to be exciting and it doesn't matter who she is, but when we have the president here, we want to make sure we are showing good strength in those areas,” Fitzgerald said, alluding to a Hillary Clinton presidency.

Gilman lauded new legislation guaranteeing paid sick leave for men and women in the city and brought attention to legislation he has sponsored regarding pregnant women and mothers.

Alongside these governmental speakers were people from various private groups. Jezebel Rivera, who is president of the Latin American Cultural Union, spoke during the rally about how the wage gap specifically affects Latina women. She spent some time explaining how massive she finds the gap between Latina women and white men.

“There is a huge gap between how much we work and what the system thinks we are worth,” Rivera said.

Chief Executive Officer of the YWCA of Pittsburgh Magdeline Jensen offered some historical context for the crowd. "We spent some time looking at our archives and our documents and I found a real gem regarding equal pay,” Jensen said. This gem is a little book of which the organization passed out stapled photocopies.

“When [World War II] was over, there was a problem with unemployment. There wasn't enough work for the men back from overseas and so the government was pushing women out of the workforce,” Jensen said. “I found this little booklet from the YWCA, and the title of it is ‘Are Women People?’ It was produced, we think, between 1946 and 1950.”

This comedic booklet, printed in just red, black and white, and resembling a children’s book, was written and illustrated by Florence Anderson. It is filled with cartoon drawings that fight against the effort to remove women from the workforce.

Several booths were set up before the noon event for groups such as Fight for $15, the YWCA of Pittsburgh, and Pittsburghers For Public Transit, which is a project of the Thomas Merton Center. One booth hosted by the WGF was manned by young girls selling pastries at a bake sale. Men were charged a dollar, white women 76 cents, black women 64 cents, and Hispanic women 54 cents.

T-shirts were sold for $10 by WGF that advertised the cause. One t-shirt purchaser is 33-year-old Katie Harrison, a white Pittsburgh-based attorney brandishing a button advertising the Hillary presidential campaign, who is passionate about the equal pay movement, even though she doesn't think she is personally discriminated against in her profession.

“It’s really important for me to be here and hear what women’s concerns are and to be able to understand what those concerns are so I can then advocate on their behalf in different ways,” Harrison said.

Another supporter was a young man named John Schifalacqua, who loved the rally. “I enjoyed talking to the folks who attended,” Schifalacqua said. “I ran into old faces and new faces but all really eager, talented folks who are willing to take a stand for what I think’s right.”

Despite being an event with a title devoted to equal pay, there was a clear understanding at the rally that inclusivity and a broad examination of various factors regarding women’s wages is necessary.

“I don't want equal pay for shitty work,” La’Tasha D Mayes, one of the speakers, said during her speech.

Matt Petras is an intern for The New People covering LGBTQ issues and local activism. He is a Class of 2018 Point Park University student majoring in journalism.

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