Olympia, WA – Washington State Women’s Commission kicked of the state’s first-ever “Women MAKING History” month with a half-day event dedicated to the incredible women shaping the present and future of gender equity. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

On Friday March 1st, nearly 200 women and girls from across Washington State flooded the Capitol Campus for the annual “Women at the Capitol” event. Dozens of guests traveled in a bus from Seattle courtesy of our co-hosts the Center for Women & Democracy, KD Hall Foundation, and Interagency Committee of State Employed Women. When they arrived the day full of powerful programming began!  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The day started off outside of the Governor’s Mansion where our guests lined up, eagerly awaiting afternoon tea.  Once indoors, the air buzzed with excitement as friends reunited and trailblazers connected over their work. The room fell silent as soon as four of our State Supreme Court Justices made their way to the front.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Supreme Court Justices Sheryl Gordon McCloud, Mary Yu, Debra Stephens, and Chief Justice Steven Gonzalez spoke candidly to the audience. They answered questions about interpreting the law to the highest standard, the state of Washington’s justice system, and what it means to serve on the most diverse Supreme Court in the nation.    

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

After tea, participants moved to the historic State Reception Room in the Capitol Building for a timely panel discussion titled “Co-Creating the Future of Gender Pay Equity.” WSWC Executive Director Grace Yoo moderaed the conversation between Washington State Treasurer Mike Pellicciotti, Washington State Labor Council’s first woman President April Sims, CEO and co-founder of The WMarketplace Kate Isler, and University of Washington Center for Women’s Welfare research Annie Kucklick.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo credit: Office of Gov. Jay Inslee  

 

The panelists represent leading voices from government, labor, business, and academia, respectively. Together, they identified the most pressing economic disparities facing women in the state. They focused particularly on Washington’s gender pay gap, which is among the worst in the nation. As a group, they identified strategies to close this gap, including the importance of collective advocacy from employees, employer-led initiatives to promote representation in higher paying jobs and industries, and legislative measures to improve wraparound services like childcare, flexible work schedules, and workplace discrimination policies that drive retention of women in the workforce. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Treasurer Pellicciotti and WSLC President Sims shared insights from their collaboration on various labor issues over the last year, including their successful advocacy for the Washington Saves bill (SB 6069) before and during the 2023-2024 Legislative session. The audience witnessed the bill's passage out of the House in real-time during the panel discussion, signaling that the journey towards a more equitable Washington is not only possible, but already underway.   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Photo credit: Office of Gov. Jay Inslee 

During one of the most memorable parts of the discussion, students in the audience--the next generation of Washington women—bravely shared their concerns for educators’ salaries. 

                          

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

One young scholar in the KD Hall Foundation’s Girls on the Rise Leadership Program told asked to speak to AFL-CIO President April Sims. She told Sims she was starting her first job and wondered when the right time was to negotiate a higher wage. Sims not only walked the student through her expert approach to bargaining on behalf of workers but extended an invitation to continue the conversation over coffee.  

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The evening culminated with a reception honoring the 2024 “Women at the Capitol” honorees championing women's interests as business executives (Ashley Ruiz, McKinstry), government leaders (Sanyu Tushabe, Employment Security Department and Christine Scarlett, Department of Enterprise Services), and legislators (Representatives Jamila Taylor and Monica Stonier).  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As she accepted her award, Rep. Monica Stonier celebrated a recent win for women & girls—the legislature’s passage of House Bill 1455. Now heading to the governor’s desk, this bill would make it illegal for children under the age of 18 to get married. Washington would become one of only 11 states in the U.S. with this law.

 

Throughout the evening, several other legislators dropped by the reception from the House Floor to speak about current bills impacting Washington women before rushing back to the final hours of debate ahead of a major cutoff for this Legislative Session.  

 

ABOUT THE WASHINGTON STATE WOMEN’S COMMISSION  

 

The Washington State Women’s Commission (WSWC) is an executive branch cabinet agency in the Office of Governor Inslee serving as the primary voice in government for Washington women and girls.  Signed into law in 2018, WSWC develops policies and initiatives to address critical issues that disproportionately affect women, including childcare access and affordability, domestic and gender-based violence, equal pay, health care access, and intersectional inequities.  Through strategic listening and collaboration, we represent the 3.8 million women and girls across the state.