Congressman Cohen Supports 35 Years of Title IX

Mr. Speaker, I want to thank my freshman colleague from Hawaii for bringing this particular resolution. It is appropriate that she honors her predecessor, Congresswoman Mink, who did so much in this Hall. In passing this bill, she did some of the things that were similar to civil rights laws of the 1960s in a continuum, because discrimination, whether it be race or gender or national origin or sexual orientation, is wrong.

There are barriers this country needs to tear down and present a level playing field and an opportunity for all to enjoy the benefits of America. It is what Dr. King did talk about when he looked forward to getting to the Promised Land. That's part of what the Promised Land was, is, and will be. And so I thank the gentlelady for bringing the resolution.

I am going to take an opportunity here to make a mea culpa. Earlier, when I had to address the House on Stax Records, I forgot a few people. And one of the people I forgot was a women, Carla Thomas, who did ``Gee Whiz,'' and her father, Rufus Thomas, who did ``Walking the Dog.'' In music, many of the Stax Record people were men, they were the Staple Singers, but Carla Thomas was a great singer. And there are so many fields that have been opened up.

When I looked at the statistics that were made available to me, before title IX only 9 percent of the graduates from medical school were women. In 2004, there were 46 percent. In law, 7 percent had J.D. degrees for women, now 49 percent. When you think about those numbers, and that was just 35 years ago, Mr. Speaker, it's amazing how far we've come from the discrimination that existed at that time because of gender and what Representative Mink and the United States Congress' work did. It shows what can be positive and good about government.

There is a lot of good things that government can do and does do, and people forget that. If it weren't for civil rights pioneers, there would still be segregation. If it weren't for the work of the Congress in the middle 1960s, there would still be discrimination possibly in housing and public employment and other public facilities. And if it weren't for Congresswoman Mink, there would be discrimination against women. There is much good that comes. Forces within society help, but they propel people in government to act and take action that this Congress has seen has made America a greater place.

So it is my honor to stand and support the passage of this resolution that celebrates the 35th anniversary of title IX. It tells us just how far we've come in 35 years, but how just 35 years ago there were these limits. And the fact is, it was only 87 years ago that women got the right to vote. Mr. Speaker, 87 years ago women could not vote in this country, but this Congress, through a passage of a constitutional amendment, passed eventually by Tennessee as the perfect 36th State, gave women the right to vote in this country. So we've come a long way, but we've got a long way to go. And it is an honor to participate in this 35th anniversary.

I thank the gentlelady for giving me the time.