 Equal Rights Advocates
Special Report
February 2012 Newsletter
ERA’S EDUCATION EQUITY CAMPAIGN KICKS OFF A GREAT YEAR
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Celebrating Women and Girls in Sports
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Ending School Harassment and Bullying
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Demanding Equal Pay for and Fair Treatment of Educators and Coaches
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Empowering Girls in STEM and Other Male-Dominated Fields
On this National
Women & Girls in Sports Day, ERA kicks off an exciting year for our
Educational Equity Campaign. We look forward not only to the 2012
Summer Olympics, but we also celebrate the 40th anniversary
of the passage of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972. This
federal law prohibits schools and other educational institutions that
accept federal funds from discriminating on the basis on sex in their
educational programs. Title IX requires schools to prevent and remedy
sex harassment and gender-based bullying. It also mandates schools to
provide girls an equal opportunity to participate in sports and other
school activities, and to offer them equal in terms of resources and
support.
ERA is planning a series of events, projects, and testimonials to
commemorate this important year for Title IX, women in sports, and ERA’s
groundbreaking education equity work. While great strides have been
made since the passage of Title IX, much work needs to be done to
achieve gender equality in educational programs. Compelling research by
Stanford professor Shelley Correll and others indicates that the dearth
of women in the science, technology, engineering, and math(STEM) fields
finds root in low self-assessments of ability by girls exposed to
negative gender stereotypes at school. Each day, ERA hears from
students who are sexualized and degraded through cyber-bullying and
texting, taunted and abused because they do not conform to gender
stereotypes, and even raped by classmates who are permitted to roam
school hallways without intervention or counseling. And despite the
fact that Title IX was passed 40 years ago, young women continue to
receive fewer athletic opportunities and second tier facilities,
schedules, and institutional support in sports. These injustices are
often compounded by homophobia and marginalization based on income and
race. They are cultivated and perpetuated by some school districts that
either lack proper training or are indifferent to the mandates of the
law.
ERA is committed to securing education equity for all students because
kids who are distracted, terrified, or degraded are not learning.
Athletes who are not provided equal opportunities and fair treatment are
denied the mentorship, leadership-training, and other benefits that
sports provide. This has a real impact on the economic futures of the
women and girls we serve. For example, a study by the Oppenheimer Fund
found that more than four out of five executive businesswomen played
sports growing up - and the vast majority reported that the lessons they
learned on the playing fields have contributed to their success in
business.
While ERA has made progress with its Education Equity work, we are not
done. We welcome your input and support. If you would like to learn
more about how to contribute to this campaign and ERA’s other
programmatic work, please see our website.
 ERA’s Groundbreaking Title IX Legal Work
Through impact litigation and other advocacy, ERA enforces Title IX’s
mandates in the classroom and on the playing fields. ERA has pushed
for the development and clarification of Title IX law requiring schools
to provide equal athletic participation opportunities by representing
women athletes at UC Davis, including women wrestlers Arezou Mansourian,
Christine Ng and Lauren Mancuso. ERA and co-counsel The Sturdevant Law
Firm, Equity Legal, and Duckworth Peters Lebowitz Olivier LLP secured
decisive wins at the district court and before the Ninth Circuit Court
which provide important guidance on what schools must do to achieve
gender equity in sports 40 years after Title IX’s passage. ERA is also
currently taking on a state high school athletic association whose rules
effectively exclude girls from participating on co-ed wrestling teams
by enforcing weight classes that favor males.
Safety in schools is crucial to educational equity. Last year alone,
ERA provided legal assistance to dozens of students across the country
who endured sexual harassment, assault, and bullying based on their sex,
gender identity, and/or gender stereotyping. A recent series of calls
reminded us how much work needs to be done in this area. ERA received
calls from several parents whose daughters attended the same middle
school and were harassed by the same boy (who is also a student). The
student harassed several girls on an ongoing basis by sending sexually
explicit text messages and lewd pictures, and then exposed himself to
the girls during class. Although the principal received multiple
complaints about the harasser’s conduct, he told the parents that these
events were a good “learning experience” for their daughters and refused
to take any remedial actions in response to their complaints. ERA is
assisting these parents to ensure that their daughters can learn in a
safe, harassment-free educational environment.
ERA is collaborating with an array of partners to end occupational sex
segregation that starts in schools. ERA is developing exciting programs
to spotlight and battle sex stereotyping that starts in elementary
schools and dissuades girls from careers in STEM. ERA, Stanford Women
in the Law, and Stanford’s Clayman Institute of Gender Research are
sponsoring an event to discuss how to improve the pipeline of women into
STEM careers by empowering girls in schools. The event will be on the
Stanford campus in April 2012. Stay tuned for details.
Some of ERA’s closest allies in this work are educators and coaches
across the country. ERA is committed to ensuring that they do not
suffer from retaliation when they stand up for Title IX. ERA is also
assisting female educators and coaches who have been denied tenure and
equal pay based on gender, sexual orientation, and race.
Crucial to ERA’s efforts to achieve the promise of Title IX is our free
Advice and Counseling program. If you or anyone you know needs
assistance with an educational equity issue at school or any other
educational institution, contact our team of experts through ERA’s
Advice and Counseling line by calling 1-800-839-4372 please.
Celebrating Women and Girls in Sports :
ERA's Happy Birthday Title IX Bash With Soccer Great Julie Foudy
Today is National Girls and Women in Sports Day in a year that promises
many great moments for women and girls in sports. Our nation’s top
female athletes will be pursuing their Olympic dreams in Olympic trials
held across the country in track and field, marathon, swimming,
gymnastics, rowing, cycling, and dozens of other sports. The 2012
Summer Olympic Games will be held this summer in London and will
undoubtedly be a testament to the great progress women and girls have
made in sports since the passage of Title IX. In this spirit, ERA will
begin a count-down to the summer Olympic games with a newsletter series
featuring women and girls whose athletic accomplishments will inspire us
and draw attention to dreams made possible by Title IX. The first in
our series is this issue, which celebrates the accomplishments of an
inspirational marathoner, Desiree Davila, who will compete in the 2012
summer Olympics in London. (Read on to learn more).
ERA will also celebrate Title IX’s birthday with American soccer legend
Julie Foudy as the keynote speaker at the ERA’s Annual Luncheon in June
2012. Julie Foudy is a Stanford University graduate who academic
prowess has been matched only by her tremendous athletic talent. Julie
was a midfielder for the United States women’s national soccer team from
1987 to 2004. She played in four Women’s World Cups, winning two FIFA
World Championships – first in 1991 and again in 1999. She played in
three summer Olympic Games, winning a gold medal in 1996, a silver medal
in 2000, and another gold medal in 2004. Foudy retired after the 2004
Olympic Games but has served as ESPN’s commentator and sports reporter
for women’s soccer since her retirement. She has co-anchored major
sporting events including the FIFA World Cup (2006 and 2010), the FIFA
Women’s World Cup (2007), and the 2008 summer Olympics. In 2007, Foudy
was inducted into the U.S. National Soccer Hall of Fame alongside former
teammate Mia Hamm. Foudy and Hamm’s induction was the first all-female
class of the National Soccer Hall of Fame.
 Women In Sports Series:
Olympic Marathoner Desiree Davila Inspires Us to Give It Our All
By Jamie Dolkas
To start off its Women in Sports series, ERA pays tribute to a young
woman whose destiny has been shaped by sports opportunities – American
Olympic Team marathoner Desiree Davila. Desiree has run a life-long
sports marathon destined to have her representing the USA at the August
2012 summer Olympics in London.
Desiree ran her first marathon in 2007. “I had been running distance
events since as far back as middle school and I found that the longer
the distance, the better and more competitive I was,” said Desiree.
“With the 2008 Olympic Marathon Trials right around the corner, it
seemed like a good opportunity to find out if the marathon would be a
good event for me...” Over the next few years, she set records as the
fastest American woman ever to run the IAAF World Championship (2009),
the Chicago Marathon (2010), and the Boston Marathon (2011). On January
14, 2012 at the Olympic Marathon Trials in Houston, TX, she finished
second with a time of 2:25:55. Now she’s headed to the 2012 summer
Olympics in London where she will represent the United States.
A recent article in Runner’s World described Desiree’s high school and
college running careers as something akin to “always a bridesmaid, never
a bride.” She was good enough to qualify for state championships, and
was always among the top 10 runners, but never made it into the winner’s
circle. Over the last few years, however, she has unexpectedly emerged
as a leading contender. She took the running world by surprise when she
finished just two seconds behind the winner in the 2011 Boston Marathon
last April. She also posted two of the three fastest marathon times
among American women over the past two years. Now she is poised as one
of the leading contenders, and a potential medalist, in the 2012
Olympics. See Bruce Barcott, She Can Do It! Runner’s World, February 2012 (available online here). 
Desiree’s unexpected rise to the top has inspired many people. Her
Facebook fan page has an impressive 4,293 fans. Her page is brimming
with hundreds of messages from women and girls -and men, too- who are
cheering her on from all over the U.S. and abroad. One woman posted
that she took her daughter to the trials and her daughter painted a sign
for Desiree. Another fan posted about the thrill of meeting Desiree
and getting her autograph after the race. Several fans praised her as
“an inspiration to Latinas.” And one truly dedicated fan posted a
picture of her dog with the caption, “Good luck tomorrow Desi!! From
your namesake, Desiree Davila Dalmatian.” Bloggers for “mom vs
marathon” frequently post stories with titles such as, “I Want to Run as
Fast as Desi,” praising her as a source of inspiration in their own
marathon training.
Although she has many fans, her sister Natalie Davila is probably her
biggest. Natalie traveled to Houston to watch the Olympic trials and
sent live tweets on behalf of “Team Desiree” throughout the race. She
says her sister’s performance in the 2011 Boston Marathon-where she
finished two seconds behind the winner-best demonstrates her
inspirational qualities. “I really think it was her heart that made
her an instant celebrity,” Natalie says. “One of the many important
sports and life lessons we hear over and over is to never give up – and
Desiree’s performance in Boston was an exciting visual display of just
that. Although she didn’t win, there was no doubt that she gave it
absolutely everything she had, and I think that is what people found
most inspiring.”
When asked if the Davila sisters ever run together, Natalie jokingly
says, “I run her warm up with her!” However, Natalie is also an
accomplished athlete. She played field hockey throughout high school
and attended the University of California at Berkeley on a field hockey
scholarship. She says that sports were an important part of their
childhood. “We started soccer and t-ball as soon as we were old enough,
and played in co-ed leagues initially, though I remember being one of
very few girls,” she says. “My parents are both avid sports fans. My
dad coached many of our youth sports teams and my mom was always 'Team
Mom' when we were kids. At around [age] 10 we got into more competitive
sports and traveled nearly every weekend for a game or tournament.”
Both Davila sisters are an example of the doors opened by participating
in sports. “Sports are a great opportunity for girls and women to
really learn about themselves and to learn so many important life
lessons in general,” says Desiree. “By having opportunities to
participate in sports girls can learn these life lessons in a positive,
productive, and healthy way.” Natalie agrees. “Sports teach us so many
valuable life skills such as teamwork, leadership, dedication, and
resilience.”
For all the young girls who love sports and have their own Olympic
dreams, Desiree has this advice: “Set big goals and then set smaller
goals to help you get to the big ones. Celebrate small strides and don’t
get too caught up on the setbacks, be patient. Achieving big goals is a
process. Most importantly, enjoy the process.”
ERA thanks Desiree for inspiring all of us to give it our all. We’ll be cheering for you this summer!
Click here to support ERA's educational campaigns and other programs.
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