“Sour Truth” Lemonade Stand on Today

The YWCA of Evansville and several male community leaders will host the annual “Sour Truth” Lemonade Stand on Tuesday, April 2, 2019, to call attention to the persistent and sizable gap between men’s and women’s wages. According to the latest US Census Bureau on average, full-time working women earned 80 cents for every dollar earned by men. In Indiana, the wage gap between men and women is even greater. Indiana ranks 49th in the nation at 73%. The nationwide gap is even worse for women of color with African-American women earning 63% and Latina women earning 54% of men’s wages. Over a lifetime of work, this loss adds up, as women lose out on over $500,000 in a lifetime due to the wage gap.

Prominent male community leaders including Billy Bolin (EPD), Jim Ryan (Old National), Jonathan Weinzapfel (Ivy Tech), Ben Shoulders (Old National), Court Kull (5/3 Bank), Ben Trockman (Old National), Abraham Brown (La Campirana), D’Angelo Taylor (USI), Alex Burton (EVSC), Logan Staples (German American), and Sean Jeffries (German American) be serving at the lemonade stand themed, “It’s not about apples and oranges, it’s about the sour truth.” The YWCA uses the lemonade stand to increase awareness about “the sour truth” about the wage gap between men and women.

The lemonade stand will be located along Main Street between 2nd and 3rd street next to Zuki restaurant during the lunch hour. The public is welcome to stop by the stand to learn more about this issue.

YWCA has also partnered with Amy Word-Smith to add another event to this year’s Equal Pay Day lineup. “Truth and Trivia” will be held from 5:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. at Lamasco Bar and Grill where women are encouraged to share their “sour truth” stories about the wage gap. There will be a special women-themed trivia night and women will receive 20% off the price of their food all day.

“Equal pay for equal work sounds like common sense to most people, yet 56 years after President Kennedy signed the Equal Pay Act into law the pay gap persists and women continue to be short changed,” said Erika Taylor, YWCA CEO. “When women are short changed, families are short changed. We encourage businesses to pay women fairly, push for laws that will enforce current equal pay legislation and educate women on how to negotiate for highersalaries.”

April 2nd symbolizes the day when women’s wages catch up to men’s wages from the previous year. Every year in April, thousands of women’s, civil rights, labor, and communityorganizations from across the United States come together for a national day of action promoting fair pay known as Equal Pay Day. The YWCA is encouraging the community to wear red on April 2nd to show that women are “in the red” with their pay.

The YWCA supports equal pay for equal work and opposes compensation practices thatare discriminatory. “We believe that employers should create compensation programs that aredesigned to ensure appropriate treatment of all employees and those compensation programs should be determined by the market and employer needs. The YWCA encourages organizations to perform compensation audits to ensure that compensation practices aren’tdiscriminatory,” said Erika Taylor.

YWCA Evansville invites everyone to join the Equal Pay Day twitter storm from 2:00 p.m.– 4:00 p.m. CST by posting information and facts about women’s pay. Participants are encouraged to follow @ywcaevansville on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram to view and share posts using the hashtags #SourTruthEVV #PayEquityEvansville and #EqualPayDay.

The YWCA is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women and promoting peace, justice, freedom and dignity for all. The YWCA has been serving the Evansville area since 1911 and from its inception has provided housing and services for women and girls. The Evansville YWCA is a member of the YWCA of the U.S.A., the oldest and largest women’s membership movement in the country.

Over the years, YWCA programs have changed to meet the evolving needs of women and girls. In 1979, the YWCA opened the first domestic violence shelter in Evansville. Other current programs include the domestic violence shelter, the YES! Sober Living program, Emergency Shelter for homeless women and children, and an after-school and mentoringprogram, called Live Y’ers, for at-risk girls in grades three through 12. Special advocacy programs and events for the general public are also offered. Visit www.ywcaev