Herb Dempsey is a Title IX "godfather" who has inspired other gadfly fathers -- dubbed "dadflies" by Sports Illustrated -- to fight for equity in education for at least 30 years. In honor of Fathers Day this month and to…
Readers of my book 37 Words know that its story arcs follow the history of Title IX activism. If you're anywhere near New York City between now and September 4, you can see a more visual representation of this in…
With the March Madness basketball tournaments in full swing, I can't resist revisiting a fine article in the Washington Post about the NCAA's dead sibling, the Association for Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW). This "Made by History" article is full…
Former Senator Birch Bayh, the father of Title IX, died on March 14, 2019, marking the end of an era. His life shows us how people can break free from prejudices of their generation yet simultaneously remain trapped by them…
If you've ever felt that you're part of a nameless sisterhood, take a moment to appreciate Arvonne Fraser. As smart as they come, energetic, socially astute and politically savvy, Fraser was a doer and an organizer. She got things done…
Happy 2018! In the new year, the backlash against Title IX will make more headlines as the Trump Administration continues to change regulations dealing with sex discrimination in education. Advocates for girls and women will push back and eventually move…
Title IX itself isn't on the ballot Nov. 8, but it might as well be. The gains made for sexual and gender fairness through Title IX were created by politicians, courts, and activists, and can be undone by them, too…
Terry Saario in the 1970s Saario today. (Photos courtesy of Terry Saario) A good idea doesn't go very far, very fast without financing. In the early years of Title IX, key funds came through a new cohort of women hired or…
[Videos feature Judy Norrell, former lobbyist for the League of Women Voters, and Barbara Dixon, former staff person for Sen. Birch Bayh.] Title IX wasn't just an act of Congress, nor did it come simply from the demands of women's…
Like many of today's undergraduates who have spoken up about sexual assaults and harassment on college campuses, a sense of outrage drove Pamela Price to complain to Yale University officials after a male faculty member offered her an A grade in exchange for…
VIDEO: Francelia Gleaves (now McKindra) not only was one of the first people to work at length on Title IX issues in the 1970s, she was one of the few African Americans doing this work. To her, minority rights and women's…
The Chicago Public School District just got its sports programs schooled by a Hall of Famer. Not a sports star, mind you, but Marcia Greenberger, co-president of the National Women’s Law Center. (Video: Greenberger describes her reasons for pursuing legal…
From 93-year-old Vincent Macaluso to young men on college campuses today, a long line of male allies to women helped bring us Title IX and are fighting to uphold its principles of fairness. (Video: The Godfather of Title IX) While…
A nearly 13-hour sit-in by female students and their supporters at the University of California, Santa Barbara produced promises of change from the administration, providing an example of how far we've come and how far we've yet to go under Title…
What do Title IX, the comedian Betsy Salkind, and the new film The Hunting Ground have in common? A historical thread that's about to change one sorry aspect of U.S. society. Finally. I hope. The Hunting Ground opens in cities across…
Eleven of the women most closely involved in the struggle to implement Title IX gathered on January 26, 2015 to give a living history of this most important legislation for U.S. women since the right to vote. Focusing mainly on…
I'm heading home from an intensive two weeks in Washington, D.C. doing interviews and research for my book on the people behind Title IX, and I'm especially grateful to Margaret Dunkle for inviting me to a historic gathering of 11…
Bernice Sandler wanted to be a professor. Patsy Takemoto Mink hoped to be a doctor. Meg Newman wanted to play baseball in high school. Emma Sulkowicz just wanted to feel safe on a college campus. Thirty-seven words make those dreams possible today…