President Obama signed his first bill into law last Thursday, approving the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, sending a clear message that issues of fair equality of opportunity will be important to his administration. Despite the passage of the Equal Pay Act more than 40 years ago, women receive, on average, 77 cents on every dollar dollar that men of comparable education and training receive for the same line of work. Such a disparity has profound implications, such as diminished retirement security.

The United States has come a long way in its treatment of racial and ethnic minorities and women, but we have a long way to go. Merely getting rid of legal constraints on access to positions of power and authority is not enough to really ensure that people have a fair chance to compete for open positions in society. Measures must be taken by the government to prevent private economic discrimination, too, along the lines of the Civil Rights Acts of the 1960’s. I hope that Obama stays true to his constitutional law background and continues to address institutionalized injustices that are in line with the letter, but not the spirit, of our laws.

- Yelena