Rebels: Bernice Sandler

Episode Summary

The podcast episode profiles Bernice Sandler, known as the "godmother of Title IX." Sandler was born in 1928 in Brooklyn, New York to Jewish immigrant parents. From a young age, she was aware of gender discrimination, being told she couldn't do certain activities because she was a girl. Sandler went on to earn advanced degrees in psychology, but struggled to find work in her field. In 1969, after being rejected for faculty positions at the University of Maryland solely because of her gender, Sandler had an awakening about systemic discrimination against women. Sandler researched anti-discrimination laws and discovered that gender discrimination in education was not prohibited by the Civil Rights Act of 1964. However, she found that an executive order from 1965 did bar discrimination by federal contractors, including universities. Sandler filed legal complaints against universities, catching the attention of Congress. Her advocacy led Representative Edith Green to hold hearings on the issue. Representative Patsy Mink drafted a bill addressing gender discrimination in education, which became Title IX of the 1972 Education Amendments Act. Title IX prohibits sex discrimination in federally assisted education programs. It granted women the right to participate in athletics and to report sexual harassment. After its passage, Sandler dedicated herself to researching and educating people about sexual harassment and violence on college campuses. She passed away in 2019 at age 90. The episode emphasizes Sandler's journey from facing discrimination to becoming a pioneer of Title IX and women's rights.

Episode Show Notes

Bernice Sandler (1928-2019) was the godmother of Title IX, a woman who was fed up with gender discrimination she faced and decided to do something about it.

Episode Transcript

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Want to learn more about the latest RTDs? Need to plan ahead or order on the spot? Visit getstock.com today and use promo code stockup to save $10 off your purchase of $49 or more. That's getstock.com code stockup. Check them out. SPEAKER_01: Hello, from Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan and this is Womanica. To kick off the new year, this month we're talking about rebels with a cause. Women who broke rules that were meant to be broken. Were you a student athlete growing up? Have you ever thought about the laws that allowed you to participate in these sports? What about the ability to report incidents of sexual harassment at institutions? Today, we're talking about the godmother of Title IX, a woman who was fed up with gender discrimination that she faced and decided to do something about it. Meet Bernice Sandler. Bernice Resnick was born on March 3rd, 1928, in Brooklyn, New York. Her parents were Jewish immigrants from Germany and Russia, who ran a women's sportswear store in New Jersey. When she was born, Bernice's name was intended to be Beryl, but it was written incorrectly on her birth certificate. Ultimately, her family settled on calling her Bunny. From a young age, Bunny was acutely aware of the injustices that girls and women faced in American society. At school, she was told she couldn't run a slide projector or be a crossing guard because of her gender. Undeterred, she continued on to study psychology at Brooklyn College, and later earned a master's degree in clinical psychology from the City College of New York. In 1952, Bunny married radio producer Gerald Sandler, and the couple had two children. Bunny was a qualified applicant for many psychology positions, but she struggled to find work in her field. As a result, she took up work in other fields, including being a preschool teacher, a guitar instructor, and a secretary. SPEAKER_01: In 1969, Bunny returned to education and earned a doctorate in counseling from the University of Maryland. Following her graduation, she applied for one of the several open faculty positions at the university. Despite her many qualifications for the position, she was rejected. Bunny learned from one of her male colleagues that her sex was the reason she was rejected from the role. He said, you come on too strong for a woman. When Bunny applied for another open position, the hiring manager rejected her solely for being a mother, saying it would make her an unreliable worker. Prior to this rejection, Bunny had never identified with the feminist movement. Now, she understood feminism in contrast to the sex-based discrimination she was facing as a working woman. Bunny began to research how these institutions were legally justifying their discriminatory practices. At first, she assumed they must be breaking a law, but quickly it became apparent that many policies existed which allowed and perpetuated this form of discrimination. Bunny investigated former examples of activism that gave rise to federal anti-discrimination policy. In the Civil Rights Act of 1964, she was disappointed to find that it did not prohibit sex discrimination in education. But eventually, Bunny came upon one of President Lyndon B. Johnson's executive orders from the year 1965. This order, Executive Order 11246, forbade federal contractors from employment discrimination in race, color, national origin, or religion. A footnote from 1968 revised the order to include sex. A light bulb went off for Bunny. Given that most universities had federal contracts, this meant they were forbidden from sex-based discrimination. With help from the director of the Federal Contract Compliance at the Department of Labor, Bunny developed a legal complaint against higher institutions. Bunny also collaborated with the Women's Equity Action League to file a class action complaint against 250 American colleges and universities. Bunny's actions caught the attention of Congress. With Bunny's help, Representative Edith Green held the first congressional hearings on sex discrimination in education. Representative Patsy Mink took up the mantle and drafted a bill addressing sex discrimination that passed in the House. As it moved to the Senate, it continued to gain traction. It passed and became known as Title IX of the Education Amendments Act of 1972. The statute is short and to the point. It reads, 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. This subsequently barred universities and other organizations from discriminating on the basis of sex in areas including but not limited to admissions and employment. It granted women a right to participate in athletics and to report sexual harassment. After the passage of Title IX, Bunny continued her advocacy for equality of the sexes. She dedicated herself to learning more about rates of sexual harassment and sexual violence on campuses and worked to educate campus communities and prospective students alike on these issues. In 2019, Bunny passed away. She was 90 years old. Bunny's trajectory from underemployed and overqualified to a pioneer of Title IX reminds us the importance of noticing and calling out the discrimination we see around us. All month, we're talking about Rebels with a Cause. For more information, check us out on Facebook and Instagram, at Wamanica Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. Talk to you tomorrow. 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