Chris Ernst first experienced gender discrimination in high school. As a female gymnast, men were reluctant to give up the gymnasium to her so that she could practice. But Chris, determined to be treated fairly, protested and arm-wrestled the men for possession of the gym. She always won, proving her point that women could be as strong as men. Her determination to have equal access to facilities continued into her college life. When Ernst attended Yale University in 1972, it had only recently become a coed institution. At the time, many men still resented the presence of women and often treated their female classmates unfairly. This sexism was especially evident in Yale’s sports facilities, including the boathouse.
An unspoken hierarchy had always been a part of the Yale boathouse rules, even before women were introduced to the school. The heavyweight rowers were always seen as better than the lightweights, and showed their superiority by launching into the river first. When women came to the team, they were positioned under the men in the system. On the bus, the men talked about the new female rowers disrespectfully and used derogatory words to describe them. When Ernst and her fellow female athletes used the weight room, football players would line up and laugh and hiss at them while they worked. These sexist actions were degrading and unjust. Also unjust was the lack of facilities for women at Yale. In the boathouse, there weren’t any showers or bathrooms for women. When the team came off of the Housatonic River after a long, cold, and wet winter practice, the men would take hot showers and change. The women, however, had nowhere to wash up and change their clothes. Instead, they had to wait on the bus, freezing and completely drenched by the water of the river and their own sweat, until the men finished showering. Not only were these conditions unfair and uncomfortable, they were also physically taxing. Several women got sick, and one caught Pneumonia. Chris Ernst saw and experienced this unfair treatment, just as Dr. King experienced the discrimination against black people. King saw blacks suffer because they were treated unjustly and denied access to public facilities that whites had the freedom to go to. Just as King knew it was time for a change, Ernst decided to take a stand against what was wrong.
Yale’s female rowers decided in the winter of 1976 that they wouldn’t stand for these unfair conditions any more. On the bus, shivering in the cold New England weather, Ernst and her fellow rowers started to formulate a plan. They discussed many ideas, rejecting violent and destructive ones until they settled on the best way to successfully protest the current conditions. Their plan included using Title IX, a federal law passed in 1972 that states that any program receiving government funding must provide equal opportunities to both genders, as justification for their actions. This law had been effect for four years, but many athletic programs, such as Yale’s, still did not have fair opportunities for women. To prepare for the protest, the women asked The New York Times to come for media coverage. On the day of the protest, they wrote “Title IX” on their chests and backs and donned their brand new team sweatsuits. Ernst solemnly led the nineteen rowers into the office of Johnny Barnett, the director of athletics at Yale. Upon entering, they stood before her and took off their sweatshirts to expose their bare chests. As Barnett looked on, Ernst read to her, “These are the bodies Yale [is] exploiting. On a day like today, the ice freezes on this skin, then we sit for a half hour as the ice melts and soaks through to meet the sweat that is soaking us from the inside.” The New York Times published the story of their peaceful protest and stirring words, and other newspapers nationwide soon picked up the story. People began calling Yale to support Ernst and her teammates. Yale responded by installing women’s facilities at the boathouse and generally improving women’s athletics around campus. Ernst’s actions also sent a wake up call to other athletic programs across the country. Thanks to Ernst, future female rowers at Yale were treated equally by their teammates and able to use their own facilities.
Chris Ernst’s successful protest in college inspired her to continue pursuing her ambitions in rowing. She followed her dreams and made it on to the US team in the Olympic games. Although she was seen as scrawny and not likely to succeed, she kept pushing herself and working harder. Just as C. B. Sands, Ernst’s rowing partner at the 1986 Olympics, said, “Even when [she] came up against an obstacle, she integrated [it] into her step by step plan so that suddenly that obstacle was an integral part of the plan.” Ernst pushed past the obstacles in her way and worked harder to achieve her goals. With Sands, she became the world champion for the women’s doubles race in 1986. Dr. King also worked hard to overcome obstacles in the name of his cause. Risking the possibility of arrest, King marched in Birmingham, one of the most racist cities in America. Even after he was jailed, he didn’t give up. He continued to fight for his cause by writing Letter from Birmingham Jail. Ernst’s determination in her fight for women’s rights in athletics was truly in the spirit of Dr. King.
On Martin Luther King Jr. day, Americans celebrate the spirit that Dr. King used to help guide the American people towards equality. Chris Ernst also embodied King’s spirit of hard work, determination, and nonviolence. She helped organize the female rowers at Yale to stand up against gender discrimination and fight for their rights. Her actions set an example for women all over the country. Martin Luther King had a dream: that one day, all people would be equal. Chris Ernst also had a dream of equality that required hard work and a determined spirit. In her words: “Dream a little, sweat a lot.”
* All information and quotations concerning Christ Ernst from film “A Hero For Daisy” © 50 Eggs Films directed and produced by Mary Mazzio.