6 Ways to Celebrate the 50th Anniversary of Title IX This Week
by Cameron Katz, Made By Us, along with contributions from All Vote No Play and the UT Center for Sport, Peace and Society
This summer marks the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Signed June 23, 1972, this vital legislation was an important milestone that pushed the United States closer to equal rights for women. It states that “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 educational program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Title IX provided generations with numerous benefits and opportunities, including the ability for women and girls to play sports in school. Sports teach essential values, like teamwork, fair play, resilience, and leadership, and access to these experiences has empowered millions to apply the same skills to their professional, personal, and social “teams.”
Title IX has also had a global ripple effect — beneficiaries of the legislation, in the U.S. and internationally, carry on its legacies, lessons learned, and more down to their counterparts worldwide.
This Civic Season, we have an opportunity to turn learning about Title IX into a civic action. Civic Season provides the ideal time to connect younger generations, who may not have experienced the same inequalities as their pre-1972 counterparts, with this historical context.
By turning to the past, we can better understand the ways that many (perhaps unknowingly) benefit from Title IX and its legacies. One way to do this is to amplify stories about women’s leadership in their communities, and often how the potent mix of sports + education is part of the equation. These six programs and resources can help anyone — whether you’ve just heard of Title IX or are an expert — learn something new.
1. Listen to an Episode of IX at 50: The Lady Vols Experience
Learn how Title IX titans at the University of Tennessee-Knoxville — inspired by legendary UT basketball coach Pat Summitt — blazed trails to create one of the country’s dominant women’s athletics programs. Explore the values purposely infused throughout the program, and what this intergenerational story tells us about women’s leadership, building community, and sending the elevator back to uplift the next generation.
2. View the real Title IX at the National Archives — and learn about its effects
Before the change in legislation sent ripples throughout society, it was put up for a vote to the Senate. You can see the Senate vote tally on display in the rotunda at the U.S. National Archives in Washington, D.C. through September 7. The bill was authored and advocated for by Patsy T. Mink, the first Asian American and first woman of color elected to Congress.
On Tuesday, June 21, tune into a Virtual Panel with the National Archives Foundation, featuring athletic directors and advocates for women in sports.
3. Check Out this Oral History Project, Race & Sports: Athletics and Desegregation in Central Virginia
Looking for a more local lens on Title IX history? Then you don’t want to miss this oral history project from the Albemarle Charlottesville Historical Society, which is in the process of collecting and preserving the histories of Central Virginia public school sports participants during the desegregation period.
4. Visit the “Title IX: Activism On and Off the Field” Exhibition at the New-York Historical Society
If you want an in-person experience to commemorate Title IX, check out this exhibition from the New-York Historical Society. The exhibition highlights the activists who advocated for Title IX and ultimately made it a reality. Take a look at historic artifacts — from Wheaties boxes to children’s books — that show how understandings of gender and sex discrimination have evolved over time.
5. See iconic sports items from history at the National Museum of American History
In a new exhibition case opening June 23, you can view Naomi Osaka’s tennis racquet from the 2020 U.S. Open Tennis Championship, the U.S. National Soccer team jersey worn by Samantha Mewis when she was named U.S. Soccer Player of the Year in 2020, and a T-shirt skateboarder Leo Baker, a trans, non-binary athlete, made to express their identity in 2019.
6. Learn How Student Athletes Can Tap Into Their Power and sign up for All Vote No Play
Besides Civic Season, another new tradition is taking hold — turning Election Days into a day full of “civic drills” for college athletes. Whether you’re an athlete yourself, know one, or just like to cheer your team on from the sidelines, All Vote No Play invites you to join in the action this fall. Sign up here with All Vote No Play, or explore this guide from Citizen University to learn how student athletes can inspire civic participation among their peers and community.
Looking for teammates to join you in your efforts this Civic Season? Explore the Civic Season Zine to find likeminded others, try the Civic Superpowers quiz to see who’s on your team historically, and discover more than 750+ activities and resources nationwide.
