From ESPN Films, Industrial Media, and Trilogy Films, 37 Words tells the full story of Title IX – the hard-fought battle to push for equal rights in education and athletics; the decades-spanning effort to nullify its impact; and the rippling impacts of the landmark civil rights law that continue to resonate today. 

Helmed by acclaimed directors Dawn Porter and Nicole Newnham, the four-part series charts the spectacular transformation that 37 words have inspired in American culture and the lives of women, as well as the many ways in which the spirit of this bold law has yet to be fully realized. 37 Words is available to watch on ESPN.

Here are the 37 words: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U2e1HMU-G7U

Dawn recently directed, and executive produced the Apple TV+ mental health documentary series “The Me You Can’t See” (2021) alongside Oprah and Prince Harry. Also in 2021, her short film “Bree Wayy: Promise Witness Remembrance” (MTV Documentary Films) was released and examined how the art world responded to the death of Breonna Taylor in 2020. Her 2022 NAACP Image Award-nominated documentary “Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer” (National Geographic) shed light on a century-old period of intense racial conflict — being released one hundred years after the two-day Tulsa Massacre in 1921 that led to the murder of hundreds of Black people and left thousands homeless and displaced. “Rise Again: Tulsa and the Red Summer” was a critical success, even achieving 100% on Rotten Tomatoes. The two-hour special broadcast globally in 72 countries and 43 languages on Hulu.

In 2020 Dawn directed two Emmy® Award-nominated documentaries: “The Way I See It” (Focus Features) which looked into two American presidencies, Ronald Reagan and Barack Obama, from the lens of official White House photographer Pete Souza, and “John Lewis: Good Trouble” (CNN, Magnolia Pictures), the story of the congressman and civil rights icon.

Dawn received Mill Valley Film Festival’s prestigious 2020 Mind the Gap Award for Documentarian of the Year and was awarded the 2020 Marlon Riggs Award at The San Francisco Bay Area Film Critics Circle Awards. 

As a two-time Sundance film festival director, Dawn discovered her passion for filmmaking following her time as an attorney. She is currently in production on a documentary feature for MGM highlighting the return of Cirque du Soleil after the Montreal-based entertainment company was shuttered during the global coronavirus crisis and is directing a documentary series for Showtime Networks about the United States Supreme Court (to be announced).

Conversation with Dawn Porter- Director on docuseries 37 Words