37 Words

<b>A sweeping history of the federal legislation that prohibits sex discrimination in education published on the fiftieth anniversary of Title IX</b><p><strong>“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.” <br />—Title IX’s first thirty-seven words</strong></p><p>By prohibiting sex discrimination in federally funded education the 1972 legislation popularly known as Title IX profoundly changed the lives of women and girls in the United States accelerating a movement for equal education in classrooms on sports fields and in all of campus life.</p><p><em>37 Words</em> is the story of Title IX. Filled with rich characters—from Bernice Resnick Sandler an early organizer for the law to her trans grandchild—the story of Title IX is a legislative and legal drama with conflicts over regulations and challenges to the law. It’s also a human story about women denied opportunities students struggling for an education free from sexual harassment and activists defying sexist discrimination. These intersecting narratives of women seeking an education playing sports and wanting protection from sexual harassment and assault map gains and setbacks for feminism in the last fifty years and show how some women benefit more than others. Award-winning journalist Sherry Boschert beautifully explores the gripping history of Title IX through the gutsy people behind it.</p><p>In the tradition of the acclaimed documentary <em>She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry</em> <em>37 Words</em> offers a crucial playbook for anyone who wants to understand how we got here and who is horrified by current attacks on women’s rights.</p>