Fifty years ago, on June 23, President Richard Nixon signed Title IX, the 37-word snippet within the Educational Amendments of 1972 that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex “under any education program or activity receiving federal financial assistance.”
I became curious about the origins of Title IX while doing background research for my Op-Doc “The Queen of Basketball,” about Lucy Harris, one of the earliest beneficiaries of Title IX. My research led me directly to Representative Patsy Mink from Hawaii, who was a pivotal figure writing and defending Title IX.
As the first woman of color elected to Congress, Ms. Mink — and her path to office — was influenced by the discrimination she experienced in her personal and professional lives. As a Japanese American woman, many doors were closed for her. She became an activist and later a politician in order to change the status quo.
I learned more about the history of Title IX in 1970s. I discovered that legislators as well as lobbyists waged a powerful campaign to weaken and undermine the law. This effort culminated in a dramatic moment at the House Floor, when Ms. Mink was repelled during a crucial vote about the future of Title IX.
In the short documentary above, Wendy Mink narrates her mother’s groundbreaking rise to power and the startling collision between the personal and political that momentarily derailed the cause of gender equity in America. After Ms. Mink’s death in 2002, Title IX was officially renamed the Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.
Ben Proudfoot, a filmmaker and founder of Breakwater Studios, is also the C.E.O. Breakwater Studios. He directed the Oscar-winning Op-Doc “The Queen of Basketball.”
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Source: NY Times