ABSTRACT

The year was 1969. Bernice R. Sandler had been teaching part-time at the University of Maryland for several years during the time she worked on her doctorate and shortly after she finished it. There were seven openings in the department and she had just asked a faculty member, a friend of her, why she was not even considered for any of the openings. Her husband labeled the department's behavior as "sex discrimination"—a label that started her thinking. Sandler began to read more about the civil rights movement to see what African Americans had done to break down segregated school systems and employment discrimination, with the hope of learning what might be applicable to women's issues. Under the auspices of the Women's Equity Action League (WEAL) Sandler began what was soon to become a national campaign to end discrimination in education and which eventually culminated in the passage of Title IX.