Why observe Equal Pay Day, year after year, if it’s such a bummer? Because the wage gap is a way of talking about the tangible consequences that sexism and racism in our economy have on women. And it touches so many women year after year, no matter their occupation, education level or age.

Eighty years ago today, the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) – the cornerstone of labor protections for working people in the United States – was enacted. While its protections for working people remain in place today, so, unfortunately, do its exclusions, which disproportionately harm women and people of color.