“But what truly sets Lisa Saxon apart was her fight—a lightly chronicled struggle that was usually waged behind closed doors in stadiums around the country; a battle fought by a handful of female sports writers in a closed off and closed-minded world that did not want them there. A fight for professional dreams, sure, but also for access, equality, and at times, for basic human rights and dignity.”—Jack Ross, VICE Sports, Nov. 17, 2014
In celebration of Women’s History Month, the Baseball Reliquary, in collaboration with the Allendale Branch Library, host a discussion with trailblazing sportswriter Lisa Nehus Saxon, on Saturday, March 18, 2017, at 2:00 p.m., at 1130 S. Marengo Ave., Pasadena. Light refreshments will be served.
Working as a beat reporter and sports columnist for daily newspapers in Southern California for more than two decades, Saxon covered the Angels, Dodgers, Raiders, and major college football and basketball. When she was one of only three women in the U.S. who covered major league baseball full-time from 1983 to 1987, sexual harassment and gender discrimination were accepted aspects of the workplace status quo for women. “Women came into the workplace but didn’t come in with a user’s manual,” Saxon remarked. “No one knew what to do with us because there hadn’t been rules established. I don’t think baseball was ready for me in 1983.” Saxon endured unfathomable abuse, but she steadfastly fought for equal access and equal pay, paving the way for women who followed her. She now teaches media classes at Santa Monica College and Palisades Charter High School.
For further information, contact the Allendale Branch Library by phone at (626) 744-7260, or visit pasadenapubliclibrary.net. You can also contact the Baseball Reliquary by phone at (626) 791-7647 or visit baseballreliquary.org.
This program is supported, in part, by a grant to the Baseball Reliquary from the Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors through the Los Angeles County Arts Commission.