Article content continued

Photo by Frederic J. Brown / AFP

Michelle Williams’ powerful speech on pay parity

The “Fosse/Verdon” star’s win for best lead actress in a limited series gave way to a powerful speech on pay parity and the importance of women feeling valued in the workplace.

“I see this as an acknowledgment of what is possible when a woman is trusted to discern her own needs, feel safe enough to voice them, and respected enough that they’ll be heard,” Williams said. “When I asked for more dance classes, I heard yes; more voice lessons, yes; a different wig, a pair of fake teeth – not made out of rubber. And all of these things, they require effort and they cost more money, but my bosses never presumed to know better than I did about what I needed in order to do my job and honor Gwen Verdon.”

“And so, I want to say thank you so much to FX and to Fox 21 Studios for supporting me completely and for paying me equally,” Williams continued. “Because they understood that when you put value into a person, it empowers that person to get in touch with their own inherent value. And then where do they put that value? They put it in their work.”

“The next time a woman – and especially a woman of color, because she stands to make 52 cents on the dollar compared to her white male counterparts – tells you what she needs in order to do her job, listen to her, believe her,” Williams added. “Because one day she might stand in front of you and say thank you for allowing her to succeed because of her workplace environment and not in spite of it.”