From The New York Times: This month marks the 40th anniversary of Title IX of the Education Amendments becoming law. This legislation has been monumental in women’s and girls’ sports participation. But the focus of Title IX has been gender equity, not racial equity in women's sports. The most glaring outcome of the legislation is that white women — as athletes and administrators — have been the overwhelming beneficiaries. According to a 2007 report by the United States Department of Education, among high school sophomores, white girls had a 51 percent participation rate in sports, compared with 40 percent for black girls. The percentages were lower for Asian/Pacific Islanders (34 percent) and Hispanics (32 percent).
In college African-American women are underrepresented in all but two sports: Division I basketball, where black women represent 50.6 percent of athletes, and indoor and outdoor track and field, where they represent 28.2 and 27.5 percent. They are all but missing in lacrosse (2.2 percent), swimming (2.0), soccer (5.3) and softball (8.2). They are an underrepresented rising presence in volleyball (11.6).
Fitzgerald Mosley, of the Washington forum, discovered sports through physical education classes. She was exposed to gymnastics at school, liked it and asked her parents for private gymnastics instruction. Today Fitzgerald Mosley is chief of sport performance for USA Track and Field and chairwoman of the board at the Women's Sports Foundation. Mosley says: "There’s a whole host of African-American women who have benefited greatly from Title IX. We've gotten college scholarships and college degrees; we've made Olympic teams. Track and field is an area where a large number of African-American women receive college scholarships. But in the grand scheme of things, Caucasian girls have benefited disproportionately well, especially suburban girls and wealthy Caucasian girls."
In college African-American women are underrepresented in all but two sports: Division I basketball, where black women represent 50.6 percent of athletes, and indoor and outdoor track and field, where they represent 28.2 and 27.5 percent. They are all but missing in lacrosse (2.2 percent), swimming (2.0), soccer (5.3) and softball (8.2). They are an underrepresented rising presence in volleyball (11.6).
Fitzgerald Mosley, of the Washington forum, discovered sports through physical education classes. She was exposed to gymnastics at school, liked it and asked her parents for private gymnastics instruction. Today Fitzgerald Mosley is chief of sport performance for USA Track and Field and chairwoman of the board at the Women's Sports Foundation. Mosley says: "There’s a whole host of African-American women who have benefited greatly from Title IX. We've gotten college scholarships and college degrees; we've made Olympic teams. Track and field is an area where a large number of African-American women receive college scholarships. But in the grand scheme of things, Caucasian girls have benefited disproportionately well, especially suburban girls and wealthy Caucasian girls."
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