What would you do if a house is on fire and the firefighters on the scene not only refuse to put it out, they joyfully add fuel to it while joking about how great it was to start the fire in the first place? After talking with today’s guest, Shiwali Patel, Senior Director of Education Justice at the National Women’s Law Center, about protecting students under Title IX, this is the scenario that came to mind for me. Thankfully, when faced with the endless challenges of navigating systems that are being increasingly weaponized against the very people they were meant to protect, Shiwali doesn’t run from the fire. She is equipped with years of experience, a deep well of passion, and a belief that even as systems are falling apart around us, we can still make meaningful change and protect students.

Shiwali Patel (she/her) is the Senior Director of Education Justice at the National Women’s Law Center where she oversees advocacy addressing sex-based harassment in schools and works to strengthen civil rights protections for LGBTQI+ students and advocates broadly for civil rights in education. Previously, she was at the U.S. Department of Education’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR), where she worked on policy and guidance interpreting Title IX protections, including schools' responsibilities in responding to sexual harassment, protections for transgender students, and the rights of girls of color. Shiwali was also an Administrative Judge at the U.S. Department of Energy, a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in D.C. in the Sex Offense and Domestic Violence Unit, a judicial law clerk, and a community educator at the D.C. Rape Crisis Center. Shiwali currently serves as the Co-Chair of the Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights’ Education Task Force and on the Board of Directors of Callisto. She is also an adjunct professor at American University where she teaches Gender and Law, and Sex Discrimination in Education at the law school.

Links:

The Lawyer who Can’t Let it Go

Defending Trans Women’s Rights

The Midlife Crisis of Title IX

Don’t Believe Betsy DeVos

The Proposed Title IX Rules Make No Practical, Moral, or Legal Sense

Years Later, We Must Amend Title IX to End Sex-Based Harassment in Schools

Ending Sexual Violence 50 Years After Title IX

Both/And is a project of the New Mexico Coalition of Sexual Assault Programs. www.nmcsap.org
Need support? Call, text, or chat the NM Sexual Assault Helpline at 1-844-NMSAHLP | 1-844-667-2457 | www.nmsahelp.org

Intro music: "Can't Get Enough Sunlight" written and recorded by Michelle Chamuel http://michellechamuel.com/
Logo: Alex Ross-Reed
Produced by: Jess Clark
Edited By: Dacia Clay at Pillow Fort Studios
https://www.pillowfortpodcasts.com