What She Said

Part III, Case 6: Education

Many women-led organizations serve as community educators, as well as advocates working on behalf of education workers and students. Federal civil rights law Title IX was passed in 1972, and banned discrimination on the basis of sex in educational programs or activities receiving federal financial support. Los Angeles area women's organizations worked to ensure that the federal law was enforced and maintained at a local level. The Westside Women's Committee filed a complaint against the Los Angeles Unified School District in 1973 to ensure that the Office for Civil Rights would investigate the district's compliance. Later in 1985, the Los Angeles chapter of the National Organization for Women organized a rally for continued support of Title IX.

Many women's organizations recognized challenges in providing funding for women in education. The National Defense Education Act of 1958 and the Higher Education Act of 1965 intended to provide financial assistance for students, yet the advantages of these programs were often not distributed to equal advantage for all Americans. Women's organizations fought to remedy already enacted laws and to bridge resource gaps in their communities.

Madres del Este de Los Angeles (MELA) recognized the many cases of students with high potential to drop out of school because of financial difficulties or a lack of resources. To remedy this issue, MELA conducted scholarship fundraising for students to continue their educations, and ran a book drive for Boyle Heights elementary schools. MELA's fall 1994 newsletter noted that the students "are the reason why Las Madres believe there is so much to fight for and look forward to."

Case 7, Elected Officials, is the flat case closest to the gallery entrance.

• 1

  League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Study of the Board of Education, February 1981League of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 2

  Westside Women's Committee memorandum regarding sex discrimination in public schools, March 10, 1973Dorothy Boberg Collection

• 3

  Women's Education, Opportunities Unlimited Through New Federal Programs, June 1967Dorothy Boberg Collection

• 4

  "Save Title IX Takes Off," NOW L.A. October 1985Zero Population Growth of Los Angeles, Inc. Collection

• 5

  1995 Scholarship Recipients, $20,000 to 40 StudentsJuana Beatriz Gutiérrez Mothers of East Los Angeles Collection

• 6

  Thank you letter from a first grader to the Mothers of East L.A.Juana Beatriz Gutiérrez Mothers of East Los Angeles Collection

• 7

  Charter Education Project, League of Women Voters Los AngelesLeague of Women Voters of Los Angeles Collection

• 8

  Invitation to event for Extraordinary Commitment and Leadership in Education, September 16, 1995Comisión Femenil San Fernando Valley Collection

• 9

  Flyer, Mentor/Mentee Bruch, November 15, 1998Comisión Femenil San Fernando Valley Collection