Title lX Stamps

With these stamps. the U,S, Postal Service commemorates the 50th anniversarv of the passage of Title lX, a civil rights lawprohibiting discrimination on the basis of sex from any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistanceTitle lX was passed as a clause in the Education Amendments of 1972.

The artwork features four unigue designs, each a dark blue silhouette of a woman's face in profile. The digital illustrations ofthe four women represent female athletes, specifically a runner, a swimmer, a gymnast, and a soccer player. Yellow laurelbranches, symbolic of victory, rest in their hair and on the swimmer's cap. "Title lX" appears written across the women'scheeks, intended as an empowering message about the inclusion of women and girls in all educational settings.

U.S. Representative Patsy T. Mink of Hawai'i was the principal author of a section of a House bill that became Tite lX. The firstwoman of color and the first Asian American woman elected to the House of Representatives, Mink was a tireless champion ofwomen's rights and the rights of people of color. Mink worked with Representative Edith Green and Senator Birch Bayh in1971 to write and sponsor legislation in both chambers of Congress addressing discrimination against women in education.After some negotiation between the two chambers, the Education Amendments were passed and signed into law by PresidentRichard M. Nixon on June 23, 1972. Thity years later, shortly ater Mink's death, Title lX was renamed the Patsy T. Mink EquaOpportunity in Education Act in tribute to her enormous contributions in furthering equity in education.

In the 50 vears since its passage, Title lX has been applied widely at elementary, secondary, and post-secondary institutionsThe law covers a wide range of programs and resources. Additionally, Title lX prohibits sexual harassment including sexualassault, dating violence, domestic violence, and stalking occurring on school campuses or within school programs or activitiesTitle lX has had the most visible impact on school athletics. The year before the law was enacted, around 300,000 girsparticipated in high school sports, which accounted for less than 10 percent of all paticipants in high school athletics.Women's sports were all but invisilble on collece and university campuses, receiving very itle of the funding and none of therecognition of their male counterparts. Title lX created pathways for enriching women's athletics programs, allowing for a widerrange of competitive sports offerings, more robust physical education regimens, and equal spaces to play.

Fifty years after its passage, Title lX continues to evolve. The ongoing need to address discrimination on the basis of sex ireducational programs and activities provides opportunities to better serve students, despite economic, cultural, geographicand other barriers. Title lX has impacted generations of young people in the United States, and the work to provide protectionsfor even more in the future continues.

Artist Melinda Beck designed the stamps. Derry Noyes served as art director.The Title /Xstamps are being issued as Forever@ stamps. These Forever stamps wil always be equal to the curent FirstClass Mail® one-ounce price

Made in the USA.