HIP Commemorates Latina Equal Pay Day 2020
“The path to equity for Latinas moves beyond an income gap,” shared Ana Marie Argilagos
Oakland, CA — Today, the U.S. observes Latina Equal Pay Day which signifies the day Latina’s pay catches up to white, non-Hispanic men. In 1963 women nationwide celebrated the Equal Pay Act that pioneered anti-discrimination laws for gender-based differences in wages. Over 50 years later, a stark gap persists for Latinas that amounts to 55 cents earned for every dollar. Ana Marie Argilagos, President and CEO of Hispanics in Philanthropy shared the following statement addressing this disparity. “Culturally, Latinas have been at the center of our communities. We are creative powerhouses – more likely to start a business, be the primary breadwinners and caretakers for our families. This pay gap just serves to exhaust the point that we often have to work almost twice as hard to make what a white, non-Hispanic white man does – that’s 55 cents for every dollar. This is true across all levels of the workforce, but low-wage workers also face limited access to benefits like retirement and healthcare. “The path to equity for Latinas moves beyond an income gap. The resiliency of our community has erupted complex fears, steeped in white supremacy and xenophobia, that has moved people in this country to orchestrate strategies to jeopardize our basic human rights. Our work is to ensure leaders across the country protect these rights, including the right to a safe home, healthy community, and access to reproductive care. We have a civic responsibility to make sure that our power goes beyond the polls in 2020. We can vote to continue to protect and rebuild a democracy that works for all of us.”###
For Immediate Release: October 29, 2020 Contact: Inarú Meléndez, 413-331-9530, inaru.melendez@hiponline.org