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By Nadin Abbott
June 12, 2013 (Chula Vista)—House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-53) came to Southwestern College to participate in a forum celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Equal Pay Act on June 10.
President John F. Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act in 1963. It was sponsored by one of the first women elected to the House, Patsy Mink from Hawaii. Mink also sponsored the legislation behind Title VIX.
It was a fight, and according to Leader Pelosi, Mink was not one to give up easy. Mink grew up cutting sugar cane in her native Hawaii, and in time broke many barriers. Mink pressed until she could get Speaker Carl Albert to bring the Equal Pay Act to the floor. “The night before the bill was to come to the floor, her daughter had a car accident,” Pelosi said. Mink could not be there, and her vote was necessary for passage.
Mink according to Pelosi lived by a set of words, “what is inconceivable to some, it’s inevitable to us.” So the Act was ultimately passed and President Kennedy signed it.
That does not mean that we have equal pay in the work place, and in fact we do not.
During the talk, Pelosi also raised the issue that women need to enter the field of science and engineering, and told the audience, many young women, “You are the future, know your power.” It is time to involve women in the economy, she indicated this would be good for the country. “The more we empower women,” in all fields, including national security and government, the better it will be for the country, she added.
Pelosi also stated, “If we reduce the role of money in politics and increase civility, we will elect more women and minorities, the better it will be for the United States.”
She added that while serving as Speaker of the House was a great privilege, “the greatest privilege is serving our constituents.”
Antonio de Maio, a UCSD Professor, asked doing the open Q/A about minority students who enroll in Science and Engineering programs, but rarely apply to Graduate School. He raised the issue that part of this was a lack of role models.
Pelosi answered that indeed we need to involve many more women and minorities in these programs. She added that “a couple of things we did in the ACA (Affordable Care Act) and the Higher Education Bill was put large amounts of money into black colleges and minority programs.” She added, “it is expensive to have science and engineering programs.”
Part of the goal is to make it more attractive for these schools to attract grants and other moneys. Pelosi added that sequestration might have an effect on this, and “some might want to unravel this.”
All progress made by women, starting with the right to vote, and ending today miss one important component, affordable quality childcare, said Pelosi. She added that childcare is needed “to unleash the full power of women.”
Congresswoman Davis gave a recent example of why we need female role models. She told the story of one of her staffers in DC, who was driving her daughter Stella, a precocious five-year-old. The staffer drove by the residence of the Vice-President and asked her daughter Stella if a woman could be Vice President. The kid did not miss a beat and said no. When asked why not, Stella simply answered, “Because the Vice President is always a man.”
Davis emphasized the importance of women getting involved in all areas of life. Then she looked at the full room, where many young women sat. “We are all rooting for you,” she told them. “Touch and inspire the lives of young people.”
Pelosi then spoke of the first time she met then President George W. Bush as Minority Leader of the Democratic Party. She said that President Bush was gracious, as well as Vice President Dick Cheney. What struck her is that during that meeting she realized she was there, “a seat at the table,” for the first time since women started to fight for this.
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