Title IX in Rensselaer County
Sometimes, we take for granted the notion that women athletes are active participants in a variety of sports throughout the nation. Just a few weeks ago, the U.S. Soccer Federation announced that the Women’s National Soccer League would be receiving the same pay as the men’s league, a decision long overdue.
This prompted me to look at the Title IX of the Education Amendments Act as we approach its 50th anniversary. Signed into law on June 23, 1972, Title IX states:
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.
Despite the passage of Title IX, it was an uphill battle to get schools to comply with the new law.
Judith Maguire, an English teacher at the Troy Middle School (then Doyle Middle School), was anxious to start a super swimmers club for girls following the Title IX passage, as they already had one for boys. She was met with a great deal of resistance. Judith told me, “I grabbed on to Title IX and used it as an opening. I remember distinctly a male teacher came to my classroom door one day and said to me, “You know what your problem is? You read too much!” That remarked spurred Judith on and she was ultimately able to get the swim team up and running.
Title IX’s impact stretched beyond Judith’s super swimmers club for girls. In 1975, Carrie Williams was the first girl in Rensselaer County to play Little League, playing for the South Troy Little League.
For context, Little League Baseball was founded in 1939 in Williamsport, Pennsylvania, quickly growing to be a major youth sport throughout the country. In Rensselaer County, the Village of Castleton took the honor of forming the first Little League team in Rensselaer County in 1956 and with the passage of Title IX in 1972 (16 whole years later), girls across the county and the nation would finally be able to participate.
Blog post by Kathryn T. Sheehan