Rodriguez partnered with LUNA to bring awareness to the gender pay gap and continue moving forward in her mission to close it.
Latina women face the largest pay gap and earn just 54 percent of what white men earn annually (African American women follow closely behind at 63 percent).
LUNA’s Equal Pay Day campaign"I wanted to be partnered with a brand that empowered me. In our political climate, [we need to look for] opportunities to learn about women’s empowerment and equality. I’ve been on that search myself. I’ve always been so grateful, so I stayed quiet because I didn’t want this opportunity that I longed for to be taken away. How terrible is that? I was afraid, and I’m sure I’m not the only one."
many women across numerous industries who feel the same way and are hesitant to speak up."That’s what we’re doing. We’re not saying we’re going to change it all in a day. But once a movement starts, it pushes forward with the strength of everyone behind it. It takes women saying this conversation needs to be had. It takes women uplifting those around them and making sure no one is left behind. I’m deserving of equality when it comes to how hard I work. I believe that equality stands on merit, not on gender."
an obvious concept that everyone can agree with"But so many of the simple things in life that seem so obvious are the hardest to grasp: love, equality, being good to one another. They seem so simple, so why make it harder? But then again, you can’t control anyone’s actions but your own. So I’m just trying to control my actions. I am someone who needed help to make that move and to really own that confidence that I was allowed to have."
her experience as an actress to women of all experiences and background in a universal way"Women and men—worked 10 times more than the people who were making all the money. I wasn’t even capable of comparing myself to men in my similar position because I was so appreciative. I was busy trying to overcome the limitations of being a woman of color that I didn’t realize other limitations were being put on me. We can fall so far behind in obtaining equal pay because we’re so happy to be [given an opportunity in the first place.] I never compared my journey to anyone else’s. I was always trying to stay in my own lane. I think that that could be a trap for a lot of women."
people who may question the pay gap and deny it’s validity"[on Instagram about the pay gap] Women started to tear me down and tell me I was weak. In 2017, this is not something we should be [arguing] about. And being torn down by other women was a little more painful. You can deny it all you want but a fact is a fact. It gets dangerous when you don’t believe those facts. I’m not going to sit back and let that happen. I am aware that it is a fact. I am aware of the statistics. And I am aware that if I stay silent then nothing moves. If it’s slow and gradual. I’m in it for the long haul."
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