U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan along with other Cabinet officials and invited guests will participate in a “Title IX Celebration Basketball Game” at 5:30 p.m. today at the Interior Department in Washington, D.C.
Secretary Duncan, Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice, members from the women’s basketball teams of Georgetown, George Washington and Howard Universities, and current and former WNBA players will commemorate the passage 40 years ago of Title IX, a bill that opened the doors to millions of women competing in interscholastic and intercollegiate sports as never before.
Title IX prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in all education programs or activities that receive federal financial assistance.
On June 23, 1972, President Richard Nixon signed the bill into law that has been credited for putting women on a much more equal footing in opportunities both in the classroom and on the sporting field. The law also protects females from sexual harassment and assaults on campus.
At today’s event, participants will play a series of half-court basketball games at the Interior Department’s gymnasium near the White House. Credentialed members of the media are welcome to attend the game, and participants will be available for press interviews about their own perspectives on Title IX and its significance.
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Ahead of the Title IX anniversary, the Education Department published a new gender-based analysis of its Civil Rights Data Collection. The data snapshot highlights differences in educational opportunities between males and females from pre-K through higher education.
In addition, the department today issued a report, “Title IX – Enforcement Highlights,” spotlighting the far-reaching Title IX enforcement activities conducted by its Office for Civil Rights during the Obama Administration in areas such as access to comparable educational benefits, athletics, and sexual harassment and violence.