Decorative WOW Currents Banner

37 Words: The Hope of Title IX’s Athletic Promise for Girls

by Karen Matis and Charlene Klassen Endrizzi

A Japanese American woman with short black hair in a red dress stands before the white house holding papers in her hands.Thirty-seven words offered in 1972 began a slow moving shift toward greater equity between female, male and nonbinary athletes.

Title IX of the Educational Amendments Act provides: “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”

Last year, educators along with sports enthusiasts paused to commemorate Title IX’s 50 years of change, and consider the struggles and achievements of women and nonbinary athletes gaining a greater promise of equity. Continue reading