The Charleston Job Corps Center (CJCC) operating under Horizons Youth Services (HYS) supports Equal Pay for Women Day observed April 4, 2017. The date symbolizes how far women must still go in the year to earn the same amount of money men earned in the previous year.

According to the website, www.pay-equity.org “Equal Pay Day was originated by the National Committee on Pay Equity (NCPE) in 1996 as a public awareness event to illustrate the gap between men’s and women’s wages.” The time is now for women to speak up and let their voices be heard regarding equal pay. In addition, “Because women earn less, on average, than men, they must work longer for the same amount of pay. The wage gap is even greater for most women of color” according to the website.

During the Women’s and Girl’s Day at the WV State Legislature attendees received a flyer to participate in Equal Pay Day by painting their index finger green in solidarity for Equal Pay. Student participants include Daishon Jones, Katherine Butler, Gabrielle Goodreau, Twanna Moses, Alexis Cummings, Ashley Childress, Ashley Bradley, Saminta Paul, Alicia Caldwell and Destiny Brown.

Job Corps is a no-cost education and career technical training program administered by the U.S. Department of Labor that helps young people ages 16-24 improve the quality of their lives through career technical and academic training. The Charleston Job Corps Center is overseen by the Philadelphia Regional Office of Job Corps and is operated by Horizons Youth Services.