The Takeaway

Today marks 50 years since Title IX was signed into law, banning sex-based discrimination in educational programs and activities at federally funded institutions. The statute itself is only 37 words long, but that one sentence expanded educational opportunities for millions of women. Before Title IX, many educational institutions set quotas for the number of women admitted, or barred them from access altogether. As a result, according to a Census report, in 1970, only 8 percent of women were college graduates compared to 14 percent of men. And according to the most recent census data, a greater percentage of current U.S. college graduates are women than men.  The statute extends far beyond access and admissions – it applies to discrimination in classrooms and grading, extracurricular programs and activities, and sexual harassment and assault on school campuses.  Title IX has also been used to protect LGBTQ students, too. Last week, the Department of Education issued a policy directive stating that Title IX protects against discrimination towards students on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity. To get a better understanding of the legal framework provided by Title IX, we spoke with Chai Feldblum, long-time civil rights activist, scholar, and former Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. And shortly after Title IX was passed, the law set in motion equity in high school and collegiate athletics – opening new opportunities for women in sports and attempting to level the playing field.   According to a report from the Women's Sports Foundation, in 1972 there were about 300,000 women participating in high school athletics. In the 2018-2019 school year, that number was nearly 3.5 million…. And at the college level, the number of women athletes competing on teams rose. In 1972, they made up just 15 percent of college athletes. By the 2020-2021 school year, they made up 44 percent.For more on Title IX and sports and the gaps that still exist, we spoke with Donna Lopiano, the president and founder of Sports Management Resources, the former CEO of the Women’s Sports Foundation, and a National Sports Hall of Fame 4- sport athlete.

The 146th Westminster Kennel Club Dog Show concluded late on the evening of the 22nd of June. Just under 3,500 dogs competed this year for the title of Best in Show at the Lyndhurst Estate in Tarrytown, New York. Trumpet the bloodhound won Best in Show, which was the first time in Westminster's 146-year history that a hound took the prize. We speak with journalist Sarah Montague, The Takeaway’s Westminster Dog Show correspondent, who shares highlights and canine coverage from this year’s show.

Tangerine Records, founded by Ray Charles and now run by record producer and collaborator John Burk, released two new records of the legendary pianist’s past work. Ray Charles Live in Stockholm 1972 includes concert recordings only discovered last year and A Message from The People has just been reissued in a 50th anniversary album. Burk joined to discuss the new releases and to share what it was like working with musical legend Ray Charles. 

Global food prices have remained close to record highs in June, in part due to Russia's invasion of Ukraine. As the world’s fourth largest exporter of grain, about 20 million tons is sitting in storage in Ukraine without any efficient way to get it to market because of a Russian blockade in the Black Sea, which is preventing shipping containers from transporting the grain. We speak with Ukrainian-American Anna Nagurney, Chair in Integrative Studies at the Isenberg School of Management at The University of Massachusetts - Amherst and board member at the Kyiv School of Economics, about the latest on Russia’s blockade of Ukrainian food exports, and how it is affecting global food prices and supply.

With average national gas prices hovering around $5, the Biden administration is feeling the pressure to take more actions that will lower prices and take some heat off of Democrats running in the midterms. President Biden is currently deciding whether to implement a federal gas tax holiday, which could decrease gas prices by roughly 18 cents, but could also be a bigger help to gas and oil companies than to consumers. We take a look at the economics and politics of gas prices. We speak with Joel Payne, former aide to Hillary Clinton's 2016 campaign and CBS News political contributor, and Denvil Duncan, Associate Professor of Economics at Paul H. O’Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs at Indiana University.

Grammy award-winning musician and producer Adrian Quesada, known for his work as part of Black Pumas joins us to discuss his latest project, Boleros Psicodelicos which takes its inspiration from the golden era of Psychedelic Balada Music of the 1960's and 70's.

Gun control laws, the power of federal agencies to enforce regulations, the First Amendment’s Religion and Equal Protection Clauses are just a few of the major issues at stake during this Supreme Court term. We talk with James Romoser, editor of SCOTUSblog, about some recent decisions and what to expect from the ones we're still waiting on.

Americans like to believe we're in complete control of our own health—but structural racism has shaped everything from food access to living environments, meaning that racial disparities in health and healthcare persist. We speak with Linda Villarosa, contributing writer at The New York Times Magazine, an educator at CUNY's Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism, and author of the new book, Under the Skin: The Hidden Toll of Racism on American Lives and on the Health of our Nation.

While countries around the world have been eating seaweed for thousands of years, commercial seaweed farming is a new industry in the United States. Seaweed is not only nutritious, but it can be used to produce biofuels and bioplastics. A particular red algae strain of seaweed called asparagopsis has also been added to cattle feed with surprising results. Seaweed just may be the answer to reducing over 80% of methane gasses into our atmosphere. We speak with Jaclyn Robidoux, a Marine Extension Associate with the University of Maine’s Sea Grant program, and a seaweed specialist, about the benefits of seaweed.

James Spooner, who directed the documentary Afro-Punk in 2003 and co-launched the Afropunk music festival in 2005, recently published a graphic novel memoir. The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere. focuses on his childhood as the son of a Black dad and a white mom, living in a small California town where white supremacy flourished. We speak with him about growing up afropunk, and how afropunk itself has grown since he helped establish the movement.

Ahead of the Poor People’s March this weekend, we spoke with Bishop William Barber and Dorian Warren, the co-president of Community change and co-chair of the Economic Security Project walks us through what the campaign is all about.  

Looking ahead to World Refugee Day, recognizing the more than 100 million forced from their homes and countries due to conflict and disaster, we reflect on the recent refugee crises caused by the war in Ukraine and the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan. We hear from Chef Hamidullah Noori, who after resettling in the United States from Afghanistan opened an Afghan restaurant where he welcomes and feeds new refugees from the country. And Andrii Kokorin, a refugee from Ukraine who recently journeyed to the United Kingdom with his family, describes the value of a welcoming community. 

Brenda Rae is one of the most sought-after singers in opera today–a regular at the Met and other leading opera houses. She’s also an identical twin–and she and her transgender twin, Drew, speak with us about growing up inseparable, singing together, and they tell us about their journey to become identical brother and sister. Drew transitioned 11 years ago, and the twins remain as close as ever.

The moment on December 1, 1955, when Mrs. Rosa Parks refused to give up her Montgomery, Alabama city bus seat to a white man, has come to define Mrs. Parks' legacy. It sparked the Montgomery Boycott and galvanized the Civil Rights Movement. But throughout her lifetime, she was involved in the struggle for Black liberation, working for school desegregation and reparations. A new documentary explores these facets of her life: The Rebellious Life of Mrs. Rosa Parks. We’re joined by the documentary's executive director and co-director Yoruba Richen, and Dr. Jeanne Theoharis, who penned the book of the same name on which this documentary is based. 

Pride month is about celebrating the LGBTQ community and bringing light to the issues the community still faces, ranging from homophobia and transphobia to economic insecurity to civil rights and liberties. Today, we’re highlighting another set of issues: something that members of the B in LGBTQ struggle with: biphobia, or bi-antagonism, and bi-erasure. Many people in the bi-plus community – which includes bisexual, pansexual, omnisexual folks, among others – feel invisible, invalidated, and dismissed by members in and outside of the LGBTQ community. Pressured to “choose a side” –  in other words, to identify as straight or gay–many bi-plus people find themselves in limbo when it comes to finding acceptance and understanding, and as a consequence, can struggle with adverse physical and mental health issues. In fact, according to the Bisexual Resource Center, bi-plus people face even higher rates of depression and anxiety than lesbians and gay men. For more on this we speak with Belle Haggett Silverman, President of the Board of Directors of the Bisexual Resource Center.