Honoring Dorothy Lee Bolden

The federal minimum wage has been in the news this week. The Congressional Budget Office updated its report on the economic impacts of raising the current rate of $7.25 per hour to $15 per hour by 2025. The need to raise the federal minimum wage is a big conversation, as almost 2 million workers still earn this wage. A full-time job at the federal rate is $15,080, and many of these workers are not teenagers or college students working part-time. These are real adults. Enter Dorothy Lee Bolden.

Dorothy Lee Bolden advocated for higher wages throughout her life. A Georgian from beginning to end, Dorothy worked as a maid for 40 years. She began her activism in the 1960s when black maids earned an average of $4.25 per day for 12 hours of work when the federal minimum wage was $1.25/hour. She and her colleagues discussed the need for better wages while using public transit systems. Dorothy continued to hear the same message, “no money, no respect, and long hours.” I’m curious if she would hear the same messages riding our public transit systems today.

Eventually, Dorothy took her knowledge and network to form the National Domestic Worker’s Union of America (NDWUA) in 1968. And within two years of this NDWUA formation, maids in the Atlanta area experienced a wage quadruple and were plugged into Social Security and workers compensation. Wow. Dorothy continued her organizing and advocacy work into the 1970s and 1980s, even working with several U.S. Presidents. She was also involved with the Atlanta civil rights movement, being neighbors with Martin Luther King, Jr. Dorothy Lee Bolden helped thousands of people in her lifetime. She passed away in 2005.

The state of Georgia has received a lot of national attention this year. People like Stacey Abrams and Nikema Williams have educated people about voting rights. Leaders like Ai-Jen Poo who continue Dorothy’s work with domestic workers, especially in Georgia. I can only think that these activists are standing on the shoulders of Dorothy Lee Bolden and so many others who started this conversation decades earlier.

How can we honor Dorothy Lee Bolden and so many other black women who have started desperately needed conversations in history? First, we can listen. Dorothy listened to her colleagues over and over again to learn about their lived experiences. Second, we can support Dorothy’s work. While the federal minimum wage lays in political debate, we can support cities and states that are making changes now. You can review the differences here. Finally, we can organize and advocate for living wages. If you work for a company, ask them how they calculate a living wage. If you give to a non-profit, ask them if they pay their employees a living wage. People like Dorothy Lee Bolden have fought for some of the privileges we experience today. Let’s honor her.

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