We sought justice because equal pay for equal work is an American value. That fight took me ten years. It took me all the way to the Supreme Court. And, in a 5 - 4 decision, they stood on the side of those who shortchanged my pay, my overtime, and my retirement just because I am a woman.
Interpretation
This quote emphasizes the importance of fighting for equal pay as a fundamental American value, highlighting the struggle against gender discrimination.
Lilly Ledbetter's quote reflects her decade-long battle for gender equality in the workplace, particularly the right to receive equal pay for equal work. It underscores the systemic issues of discrimination against women and reveals the significance of justice and perseverance in advocating for what is morally right, even when faced with setbacks and legal challenges.
In practice
In a speech advocating for women's rights, we can use this quote to underline the importance of equal pay.
Maybe 23 cents doesn't sound like a lot to someone with a Swiss bank account, Cayman Island Investments and an IRA worth tens of millions of dollars. But Governor Romney, when we lose 23 cents every hour, every day, every paycheck, every job, over our entire lives, what we lose can't just be measured in dollars.
To exclude all jurors who would be in the slightest way effected by the prospect of the death penalty would be to deprive the defendant of the impartial jury to which he or she is entitled under the law.
Fill the seats of justice with good men, not so absolute in goodness as to forget what human frailty is.
Circumstances of crimes vary. So do motives. And so do prospects for rehabilitation. The number of imponderables makes it impossible to sentence by formula and still sentence justly.
Nobody wants a judge to be subject to the political whim of the moment.
Acquittal of the guilty damns the judge.
Throwing out preclearance when it has worked and is continuing to work to stop discriminatory changes is like throwing away your umbrella in a rainstorm because you are not getting wet.
Subscribe for the occasional hand-picked quote. No noise.