Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Page 3
California Women’s Law Center Honors Former Olympian
By a MetNews Staff Writer
The California Women’s Law Center announced yesterday that it will honor former Olympic athlete Anita L. DeFrantz for her work making athletics more accessible and creating opportunities for children, women and minorities in sports
The organization said it will present DeFrantz with the Abby J. Leibman Pursuit of Justice Award—which recognizes individuals dedicated to ensuring the civil rights of women and girls, and eradicating long-standing barriers in the struggle for equality and justice—on November 13.
DeFrantz said she was honored by the recognition, adding that she has “long admired” the center’s work to “inspire fairness and ensure that all girls and women are free to accomplish their dreams on a socially and economically-level playing field.”
DeFrantz won a bronze medal in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games as a member of the U.S. women’s eight-oared shell, and has served since 1987 as president of LA84 Foundation, a non-profit organization created by the surplus from the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games.
Under her leadership, the foundation has been the top supporter of youth sports programs in Southern California, investing more than $177 million in programs that have served more than two million young people the release said.
DeFranz is also a senior member of the International Olympic Committee in the United States and was the first woman to be elected vice president of the IOC in 103 years of its existence. She also serves on the board of directors for the U.S. Olympic Committee and as a vice president of the Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron, the international rowing federation.
The California Women’s Law Center was founded in 1989 to defend, secure and advance the comprehensive civil rights of women and girls, and empower individuals to use the law to address women’s health issues, gender inequity, reproductive injustice and violence against women.
Copyright 2008, Metropolitan News Company