Lilly Ledbetter, Equal Pay Pioneer, Dies at 86
"Michelle and I are grateful for her advocacy and her friendship," former President Barack Obama said in a statement about Ledbetter's death
Lilly Ledbetter, a pioneer in the fight for gender pay equity, died on Saturday, Oct. 12. She was 86.
“Lilly Ledbetter passed away peacefully last night at the age of 86,” her family said in a statement issued to CNN and AL.com, which was the first to report the news, on Sunday.
They noted to both outlets that Lebetter died of respiratory failure. “She was surrounded by her family and loved ones. Our mother lived an extraordinary life. We truly appreciate your respect for our privacy during this time of grief. "
Ledbetter worked at Goodyear Tire & Rubber for 19 years when she discovered that she was being paid thousands of dollars less each month than her male counterparts doing the same job.
In 1999, Lilly Ledbetter sued Goodyear for gender discrimination, initially winning her case in federal court and being awarded $3.8 million in back pay and damages in 2003. However, the decision was later overturned when Goodyear appealed.
The case reached the Supreme Court in 2007, where the justices ruled 5-4 that Ledbetter should have filed her lawsuit within 180 days of her first unequal pay compared to her peers. Since she missed this deadline, the court determined she had no grounds to proceed with her suit.
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Despite her loss, Ledbetter became a strong advocate for gender equity, and her activism led to the first bill signed into law by former President Barack Obama after he took office. The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act made it easier for workers to sue after discovering potential pay discrimination.
“That was the most awesome emotion I think that I have ever had,” Ledbetter told CNN in 2018. “I’ll put it behind having a son and a daughter.”
Lilly Ledbetter never set out to be a trailblazer or a household name. She just wanted to be paid the same as a man for her hard work. But this grandmother from Alabama kept on fighting until the day I signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law – my first as president.… pic.twitter.com/Z4ZxsDbIU5
— Barack Obama (@BarackObama) October 14, 2024
Related: The Sweetest Photos of Barack and Michelle Obama Through the Years
On Sunday, Obama, 63, took to social media to share Ledbetter’s impact on the world. “Lilly Ledbetter never set out to be a trailblazer or a household name. She just wanted to be paid the same as a man for her hard work. But this grandmother from Alabama kept on fighting,” the former president wrote on X (formerly Twitter).
He added, “Lilly did what so many Americans before her have done: setting her sights high for herself and even higher for her children and grandchildren. Michelle [Obama] and I are grateful for her advocacy and her friendship, and we send our love and prayers to her family and everyone who is continuing the fight that she began.”
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