Pelosi: "Unleash the power of women"
U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi urges women to fight for equal footing in the workplace at an economic forum at Tulane University. (Photo by Guillermo Cabrera-Rojo)
One of the most powerful women in American politics has a message for her female counterparts in the workplace.
“Know your power,” said former U.S. Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, speaking Sunday (Sept. 21) at Tulane University. “Take inventory of who you are and what you want to do. Follow your passion.”
“Know your power.” -- U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi
To those who take this advice to heart, she promised, “People will respond to you.”
Pelosi spoke at the forum, “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds: An Economic Agenda for Women and Families,” hosted by U.S. Rep. Cedric Richmond, a Louisiana Democrat and a Tulane Law School graduate.
The event, created to spark dialogue about the recent agenda, featured firsthand accounts from Louisiana women who face a wide array of challenges due to the inequity of the job market.
Women account for nearly two-thirds of minimum wage workers and are paid 78 cents for every dollar earned by a male counterpart, according to the “When Women Succeed, America Succeeds” agenda.
“I think it was a great event to have,” said graduate student Kelsey Chan-Chin, who was among the many Tulane students attending. “It"s true that there is still a need for change to happen.”
Pelosi, a California Democrat, is now the house minority leader. She became the first female speaker of the house in 2007.
"For our daughters and granddaughters, today we have broken the marble ceiling,” she said in 2007. “For our daughters and granddaughters, now the sky is the limit.”
In 2013, she celebrated the 165th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention by speaking with women across the country about inequality in the workplace. Results indicated that women most desired equal pay for equal work, paid sick leave and affordable quality childcare.
“It"s not about Democrats or Republicans,” Pelosi said Sunday.
The true agenda, she said, is the success of future generations.
“The best thing we can do to build the infrastructure of America,” she said, “is to unleash the power of women on our economy.”
Jamie Logan is a sophomore majoring in English, psychology and early childhood education at Tulane University.
