“Thirty-five years ago, women routinely lost their jobs for the “crime” of becoming pregnant.

“Thirty-five years ago, Representatives Pat Schroeder and Ron Dellums were forced to share a single chair in meetings of the House Armed Forces Committee because the chairman of the committee said that a woman and an African-American counted only half a member of Congress.

“Now, thirty-five years later, we haven’t reached the “promised land,” but we’ve certainly turned America’s promise into real progress. We have truly changed the world for women and families.

“And I thank all of you for making this work possible.

“After 35 years, we have been able to pry open doors for women in the workplace, but there is still so much we need to do to make the workplace welcoming, and to sweep out old stereotypes.”

Excepts from keynote address by Madelyn Antoncic, Managing Director and Chief Risk Officer of Lehman Brothers:

“For 35 years, the National Partnership for Women and Families has worked to bring change to Congress, to the courts, and our culture.

“The reason that we’ve remained vibrant and strong is that we’ve stayed true to our core beliefs while always being ready to evolve with the times.

“We were pioneers in creating the Family and Medical Leave Act. Now, we are fighting to make family leave, paid leave. In a recent study of 168 countries, there were only 4 that do not provide any paid maternity leave: Swaziland, Lesotho, Papua New Guinea, and the United States of America.

“We aim to change that. We’ve won paid leave in California, we’re making headway in Massachusetts, and we won’t stop until one day every American – male and female – has paid family and medical leave.

“We are fighting to get every worker a few paid sick days they can use to care for themselves or a family member. Today, almost half our workforce doesn’t have a single day of paid sick leave. And when it comes to low wage workers, it’s three quarters of the workforce. No wonder more children are being left home alone sick in Baltimore, Maryland than in Ho Chi Minh City. We need Congress to pass the Healthy Families Act.

“These struggles matter. Imagine – just imagine – what it would be like to never get a single paid sick day. Image having to choose between leaving a sick child alone, or losing your job. Imagine if every time you walked into a doctor’s office, you played a game of Russian roulette with your health or the health of your child.

“That is the reality of daily life for millions of women. And it is up to us to bring them the progress they deserve. With your continued support, we promise to deliver on that progress!”