Celebrating Title IX with Those Who've Lived the Impact

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The Women's Leadership Center (WLC) at the University of Saint Joseph in West Hartford will be  celebrating the 50th anniversary of Title IX with a special program Title IX: 37 Words for Equity and Justice on Tuesday, October 25, from 5-7pm.

 The WLC will feature four women leaders in sport, media, and law reflecting on the ESPN acclaimed docuseries, 37 Words, which first aired earlier this year. This film outlines the history of Title IX, the 1972 amendment passed by Congress to forbid discrimination based on gender.

The amendment included this landmark 37 words:

"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."

Following excerpts from the 37 Words documentary, these renowned professionals be on hand to share their insights on Title IX:

  • - Donna de Varona, Olympic Gold Medalist in Swimming, Activist, Television Sportscaster

  • - Leander Dolphin, Managing Partner, Shipman & Goodwin LLP

  • - Clare Smith Marash, Producer, 37 Words

  • - Carol Stiff, President, Stiff Sports Media Consulting, LLC

ESPN’s Steve Wulf highlighted the numbers that starkly illustrate the impact of those 37 words, in a column earlier this year:

“The number of girls playing high school sports jumped from 294,015 in 1971-72 to 3,172,637 in 2009-10, an increase of 1,079 percent. (The number of male high school athletes grew from 3,666,917 to 4,455,740 during that same period, an increase of 22 percent.) The number of women playing varsity sports in college rose from 29,972 in 1971-72 to 186,460 in 2009-10, a 622 percent increase that still leaves them behind the total of NCAA male athletes, whose population grew from 170,384 to 249,307 (46 percent) in that time frame.”

The panel discussion will take place in the Hoffman Auditorium within the Bruyette Athenaeum on the USJ campus.  Advance registration is required; the program is free of charge.  Details at https://www.eventbrite.com/e/title-ix-37-words-for-equity-and-justice-tickets-418233897847