June 23 is a landmark anniversary for equal gender opportunity in academics and athletics, and it’s a story with deep Hawaiʻi ties.
It’s the 54th anniversary of the signing of the federal law known as Title IX.
That’s the landmark civil rights legislation that guarantees gender equity across a wide range of areas in federally funded schools.
It prohibits gender discrimination in admissions, financial aid, campus housing, and funding of sports programs.
U.S. Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink of Hawaiʻi was the principal author and sponsor of Title IX.
She was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress, and she represented Hawaiʻi for 24 years across two tenures in the House of Representatives.
But while Mink’s name will always be linked with Title IX, there are more recent ties between Hawaiʻi and that federal legislation.
Kim Cross, a contributing journalist to Hawaiʻi Public Radio and to Long Lead, a journalism outlet focused on original in-depth reporting, has more with a new story about Title IX in Hawaiʻi.
Tune into an interview with Cross on The Conversation Tuesday at 11 a.m. on HPR-1. And check back later for an update to this story that will include a link to that interview.
In Feb. 2018, the James Campbell High School girls’ water polo team was practicing in the ocean, dodging coral and foot-high waves because their school couldn’t — or wouldn’t — get them pool time.
Seeing the boys’ sports teams getting support they didn’t have, they complained to the school. When those pleas went ignored, they did something that ultimately changed the lives of women across the U.S.: They sued.
In "Title Waves," Cross reports how two Hawaiʻi women — 50 years apart — leveled the playing field for women in education through the stories of Mink, the trailblazing congresswoman who authored Title IX in 1971, and Ashley Badis, a water polo player with a rocket arm who simply wanted her school to play by the rules.
With photos and video by Jenny Sathngam, the multimedia feature by journalism studio Long Lead is a stirring braided narrative about the fight for gender equality in the Civil Rights Era and the continuing need for vigilance today.
Of the federal laws protecting women’s rights, Title IX is one of the strongest and most enduring. Told at a time when the political tide has turned against this landmark law, Mink and Badis’ inspiring stories are a reminder of the sacrifices and gains made by generations of tenacious women.
As one of Badis’ classmates said, "This is not just for us….. It’s for the girls behind us."
