NWLC Responds to News of the Death of Lilly Ledbetter, Steadfast Advocate for Equal Pay

The following is a statement by Fatima Goss Graves, president and CEO of the National Women’s Law Center:

“Lilly Ledbetter became my dear friend and hero, and it was my great honor to walk the halls of Congress with her and witness her unrelenting advocacy for equal pay.  Lilly was an incredible force for good—she never gave up the fight to push for equal pay and fairness for everyone who came after her. It would have been easy for Lilly to quietly ease into retirement in Alabama after the Supreme Court held that there was no remedy to the decades of pay discrimination that she faced. But Lilly was not built for the easy road. She shared her story because she knew that her experience of being undervalued and shortchanged on the job was the same story that working women of all ages across America shared, whether they had ever heard of the wage gap or not.

“It was Lilly’s grit and grace that inspired President Obama to sign the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009 as his first piece of legislation. Even into her 80’s, Lilly never hesitated to hop on planes to speak to women across the country about why they must actively fight for wage equality. In her last NPR interview in January 2024, Lilly described her wish that she would live long enough to see the end of the wage gap. Lilly Ledbetter became the beloved face of equal pay, and the National Women’s Law Center will continue fighting for women to be valued at their jobs—knowing that one day Lilly’s dream of equal pay for all will become a reality.”