Women's Center of Southeastern Michigan renamed to honor gender equity activist Jean Ledwith King

Posted on Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 11:19 a.m.

Women's Center of Southeastern Michigan renamed to honor gender equity activist Jean Ledwith King

By Juliana Keeping

In honor of a local gender equity activist, The Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan has a new name.

The change, to The Jean Ledwith King Women’s Center of Southeastern Michigan, aims to honor King while re-enforcing the organization’s mission: to provide emotional support and bolster economic self-determination of girls and women.

In this file photo, attorney Jean Ledwith King sits in a dugout at the Huron High School softball fields built after she campaigned for better amenities there in 2001. King has waged a fight for gender equity in high school athletics and other areas since 1970.

File photo

King, an attorney, dedicated her career to women and girls in the areas of politics, employment, education and athletics. But she’s best known for work to enforce Title IX, which requires gender equity in federally funded organizations.

The center is a nonprofit organization that provides divorce workshops, tax preparation assistance, job coaching and personal counseling to 500 women and girls, and some men, each year, on a sliding fee scale. It’s located at 510 South Maple Ave., near the Westgate Shopping Center in Ann Arbor. For more information, call (734) 973-6779

Read a column in The Ann Arbor Chronicle honoring King here.

Juliana Keeping covers general assignment and health and the environment for AnnArbor.com. Reach her at julianakeeping@annarbor.com or 734-623-2528. Follow Juliana Keeping on Twitter

Comments

katie

Sat, Apr 16, 2011 : 3:41 a.m.

I grew up before Title IX. Things have changed greatly for the better thanks to the work of these two women.

Roadman

Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 10:18 p.m.

Equally well known locally is another Michigan Women's Hall of Fame Member, Marcia Federbush, whose advocacy of Title IX in federal court against U-M almost forty years ago led to a $2 million settlement and brought equality in sports at that school for men and women alike. Mrs. Federbush shoild likewise be honored. Jean King and Mrs. Federbush have been tieless foes of injustice in their advocacy of civil rights.

Craig Lounsbury

Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 3:56 p.m.

As the father of 3 daughters who played sports at Huron I tip my hat to Ms. King and the work she has done for girls sports.

Wolf's Bane

Fri, Apr 15, 2011 : 3:55 p.m.

It is about high time to honor Jean Ledwith King!!!