Today marks 50 years since the signing of Title IX, which expanded athletic opportunities for females. Dr. Kiki Baker Barnes, a Minden native who went on to star in basketball at UNO, before serving as athletic director at Dillard University for almost 20 years, and is now commissioner of the Gulf Coast Athletic Conference, says she is a proud beneficiary of that legislation.
“In 1972, about 294,000 girls had opportunities to participate in sports,” said Barnes. “By 2019 that number increased to 3.4 million. I was one of those girls.”
Prior to the passage of Title IX, only one percent of college athletic budgets went towards women’s sports. Though there has been tremendous progress, the overall playing field is still far from level. Dr. Barnes says political and educational leaders have to maintain a commitment to equality.
“I think we have a ways to go with that,” she said. “The lawmakers, they have to commit to providing the resources, staffing and support that young women, and kids really in general, deserve.”
Dr. Barnes has kept her end of the deal. Earlier this year she was named one of the 100 Influential Black Women in Sports by Sports Illustrated and Empower Onyx for her work in mentoring other young women who are pursuing careers in athletics. She looks forward to an even brighter future for the next generation.
“I would hope that within 50 years, it’s like ‘why did we ever have Title IX?’…It’s normal, and people see women leading as just a normal part of life,” Barnes said.
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