Upcoming Event: Lilly Ledbetter at OU, March 8

Lilly Ledbetter, the inspiration for the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009, will present a free, public lecture at the University of Oklahoma on March 8, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. in the Gaylord Hall Ethics and Excellence in Journalism Foundation Auditorium, 395 W. Lindsey St.

Ledbetter served as a manager at the Goodyear Tire and Rubber Plant in Gadsden, Alabama for almost twenty years. Despite receiving the top performance award, she consistently received less pay than virtually all of her male co-workers. She sued and won a juryverdict of $3 million, which was overturned in a landmark Supreme Court case.

Recognizing the injustice of her situation, a campaign was started to pass a law that ensures that other victims of pay discrimination have more than 180 days after their first discriminatory paycheck to file a complaint. While she herself has seen no monetary awards, Ms. Ledbetter was honored to see that Congress passed and President Obama signed the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act into law on January 29, 2009.

For more information about the event, please email the Center for Social Justice at center.for.social.justice@ou.edu or call (405) 325-5787.