by Adult Services Manager Whitney
I grew up in the 80s, and wasn’t aware of Title IX until I was an adult. But with the 50th anniversary of Title IX last Thursday, I’ve been hearing more stories that make me realize that lack of awareness proves the law’s success: things have changed so much I’ve been able to take it for granted. Unlike Linda Logan, CEO of the Greater Columbus Sports Commission, when I was in school there were multiple sports available to girls, rather than zero. Unlike Stephanie Hightower, I was aware of girls who had received sports scholarships, rather than being the first one. And unlike Sue Ramsey, who graduated from Bexley High School in 1974, I didn’t have to make my own field hockey uniforms in Home Economics.
Title IX is only one facet of a much larger bill passed by Congress in 1972. It prohibits sex-based discrimination in any school or any other education program that receives money from the federal government.
While the 37 words of Title IX address gender equity in education and make no specific mention of sports, it is in sports where its impact is most apparent. Female participation in high school sports has grown by 1,057 percent and in college sports by 614 percent since its passage. Yet while this law has helped us make great strides in gender equity, there is still a lot of work left to do. We see this with the fights around equal facilities (NCAA), and pay (US Women’s Soccer).
This week, join us at the library or tune in on Zoom for Celebrating 50 Years of Title IX to hear Linda, Stephanie, and Sue’s stories, reflect on Title IX’s legacy, and the work still left to do.
Read more about Title IX and the stories of women athletes here:
- Believe: Boxing, Olympics and my Life Outside the Ring by Nicola Adams | print
- Let Me Play: The Story of Title IX : The Law that Changed the Future of Girls in America by Karen Blumenthal | print
- Sidelined: Sports, Culture, and Being a Woman in America by Julie DiCaro | print
- Sporting Gender: The History, Science, and Stories of Transgender and Intersex Athletes by Joanna Harper | print
- Let Your Mind Run: a Memoir of Thinking My Way to Victory by Deena Kastor | print / digital
- All In: An Autobiography by Billie Jean King | print / digital
- When Nobody Was Watching: My Hard-Fought Journey to the Top of the Soccer World by Carli Lloyd | print / digital
- She Did It!: 21 Women Who Changed the Way We Think by Emily McCully | print
- One Life by Megan Rapinoe | print / digital
- Strong Like Her: A Celebration of Rule Breakers, History Makers, and Unstoppable Athletes by Haley Shapley | print
- Sum it Up: 1,098 Victories, a Couple of Irrelevant Losses, and a Life in Perspective by Pat Summitt and Sally Jenkins | print / digital
