‘Remember…’: Michelle Obama's powerful message on equal pay for women

Former US first lady Michelle Obama advocated for equal pay for female athletes at the US Open. Addressing the Arthur Ashe stadium crowd in Flushing Meadows New York, Michelle Obama honored Billie Jean King, who pushed sponsors and the United States Tennis association to facilitate equal prize money for the first time at the 1973 US Open.

“It would take 34 years before all the other majors followed suit, and even today, there are far too many tournaments that still need to give equal pay to women,” Michelle Obama said. This comes as conversation surrounding equal pay in women’s sports continued in recent weeks during the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.

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“Billie Jean had a choice,” Michelle Obama said, referencing her “friend’s” predicament competing for a small award compared to her male counterparts. “She could put her head down, keep winning tournament after tournament and just accept whatever check she was given — or she could dig deep and break serve, she could make a stand," she added.

“Let us remember that all of this is far bigger than a champion’s paycheck — this is about how women are seen and valued in this world. Sadly, we have seen how quickly progress like this can be taken away if we are not mindful and vigilant, if we do not keep remembering and advocating and organizing and speaking out, and yes, voting,” she said.

The Women’s Tennis Association in June outlined a pathway to equal prize money at certain events by 2027 and all tournaments by 2033. Novak Djokovic and Coco Gauff, the men’s and women’s singles champions at this month’s Western & Southern Open in Cincinnati, Ohio, earned $1.02 million and $454,500, respectively. At the National Bank Open, Jannik Sinner and Jessica Pegula cashed $1.02 million and $454,500.

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