Title IX

It was a hot week while the kids were on Spring Break. The temperatures got up to 80 degrees most days and it was sunny. Mary had soccer practice every day at noon and they ran drills for hours in the hottest part of the day. I would wait at the school as her team came off the field and I was charmed by the display of camaraderie that comes so easily in team sports. The girls have a similarity with their long, lanky athletic frames and huge shin guards. In Mary's case her calves are nearly bigger around than her thighs. They smile and joke and kick a soccer ball as they move as a group to the parking lot. Mary and most of the girls this week were wearing tank tops and shorts - their long arms and legs exposed - their long hair in a pony tail or braid. There are however two girls in long sleeve tops and tights beneath their shorts. They wear the hijab or head scarf that some Muslims wear. And what struck me the first time is that they blend in with their team at first and then stand out and then blend back in. The youthful smiles are the same and the closeness with which the girls move is the same.

I get choked up over stuff like this - girl's athletics and religious diversity. My kids think I overreact to this stuff. I am glad that they are so unaware of it that they are unmoved by it.

I saw Supreme Court Justice Ginsberg speak once and her reasonable take on extremism and moderation struck deeply with me. There are disturbing things happening culturally and politically in our country and in others. I try to remind myself that beliefs and trends change. The public schools were desegregated. Girls play school sponsored team sports. Gays and lesbians are given civil rights. The physically handicapped must be given access or accommodated. We continue to face challenges regarding people who are different than us. Mary's soccer team gives me confidence that humanity will be ok - we can find similarities of purpose and maintain individuality. We can be a team.