INDIANAPOLIS — Nearly 50 years ago Title IX was signed by then-President Richard Nixon.
The process it took to get to the president's desk included support from Hoosier leaders. It's all explained in a new exhibit at the Indiana Historical Society.
Indiana Sen. Birch Bayh played a major role in introducing the law to the Senate.
"Title IX: A Legacy of Access" opened earlier this month and explores the history behind the landmark legislation. It also speaks to the Hoosier connection, detailing how Indiana universities changed because of the law.
The interactive exhibit details the players behind the law and the importance it has in education and athletics.
“It wasn't an easy thing to get passed, and it took some time, and we're still working on it," Jessica Fischer, an assistance exhibit researcher at the Indiana Historical Society, said. "But it's definitely brought our education system, and our athletic system, a long way as far as equality for boys and girls.”
“I think there's a lot to be learned, you know, you can come out for inspiration. You can come out for a greater understanding of our society and where we've been and where we're going," Amy Lab, vice president of marketing and sales at the Indiana Historical Society, said of the exhibit's importance. "I think it's really especially good for kids to understand that some of the privileges that they are currently being afforded, weren't available maybe to their parents or their grandparents. So that idea of being able to take knowledge from the past and apply it to the present and the future is a lesson well learned.”
The exhibit is on the fourth floor and is included with admission. It runs through July 31. Tickets can be purchased online at indianahistory.org.
