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To honor and recognize Monday, July 31st as National Black Women’s Equal Pay Day
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WHEREAS, Equal Pay Day was created by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE), in 1996 to highlight the gap between men and women’s wages; and
WHEREAS, In 1963, President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Law, which made it illegal to pay women lower rates for the same job as their male counterparts; and
WHEREAS, The Inaugural Black Women’s Equal Pay Day took place on May 12th, 2012 and Black Women’s Equal Pay Day was created to draw attention to wage disparities for African American women; and
WHEREAS, For women of color, Equal Pay Day comes much later in the year. Black women have to work until July 31st to catch up to what men were paid in 2016. According to 2015 American Community Survey data, African American women, on average, are paid 63 cents for every $1 paid to Caucasian, non-Hispanic men; and
WHEREAS, Women on average are paid 20% less than men in the U.S., black women 37% less and Hispanic women 46% less. Recently, median earnings for men in Ohio were $50,051 compared to $37,365 for women; now therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF COLUMBUS: That this Council does hereby recognize Monday, July 31st as Black Women’s Equal Pay Day.