A Look Back at Struggle for Equal Pay for Women in CUNY

Women make policy not coffee!

That was the rallying cry of a movement led by former English professor Lilia Melani 35 years ago.

“I wanted to transform the whole system!” said, Melani on Thursday, at the commemoration of the new exhibition in the Brooklyn College library, The Women in the Archives for her role in the history and legacy of the class action lawsuit, Melani et al. v. The Board of Higher Education.

The exhibit highlights archival collections of documents, photos, and flyers giving a glimpse of activism on campus created 35 years ago by (or) about women who are alumni of Brooklyn College. Melani is featured in the exhibition as a tribute for her work in the CUNY Women’s Coalition and their action in the class action lawsuit, which fought against the discrimination of women in CUNY for getting paid $1,800 less than men in equal positions.

Ten years later in 1983, Federal Judge, Lee P. Gagliardi ruled a, $7,500,000 settlement to be given any women who applied or were employed by CUNY. A portion of the settlement was also set too be given to the Women’s Development and Research Fund.

Melani and the 25 other women who were apart of the Women’s Collation, not only minimized the pay gap between men and women in CUNY but, also advocated for the creation of a women’s center, childcare centers, and a Women’s Studies degree program.

On March 24, 1990, the CUNY Women Students Bill of Rights and the Demands of Women Students of the City University of New York was created to provide an institutional environment free from bias against sex in all New York City campuses.

Both documents are also on display at the exhibit.

Among the changes the Women’s Coalition made, Melani pointed out that there is still, “more to be done. There are a lot of underlying systematic things that have to be changed.”

The exhibition honors the victory of the class action and the changes the CUNY Women’s Coalition has created in history for all the women (employees and students) in the CUNY system.

Melani concluded, “We work together as women. We are women together.”

Photo of Prof. Melani by Jasmine Peralta.