Annalisa Enrile
by Ray Delgado
“I believe what Title IX has been able to do is create these brave spaces where people can come for support and education and also for mediation, for awareness, and for justice,” said Enrile, the daughter of Filipino immigrants who grew up in San Diego. “Knowing that Title IX exists along with policies that are enforced is definitely important in order to be confident and move forward. You have to stand on a really solid foundation and that’s what Title IX gives all of us: students and faculty and staff.”
To say that the principles of Title IX have been a guiding force in Professor Annalisa Enrile’s life and career would not be an understatement. Enrile is driven by the need to create the right environments for all students and colleagues to thrive at USC in her role as a Clinical Professor of Social Work at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work. She calls them “brave spaces” instead of safe spaces because it conveys a responsibility to speak up when something is wrong.
Representation also matters to Enrile, one of the few Filipina PhDs in social work who chose her career path because it provided a way to focus on important social issues in the Filipino-American community, the fastest-growing Asian immigrant population in America. She frequently speaks out against sex trafficking and exploitative migrant labor and is referred to as a #Filipinadisruptor by the Filipina Women’s Network. She has also been recognized as one of the 100 Most Influential Filipinas in the World (FWN Global 100) for her efforts to stop violence against women.
“I have the privilege of these magic letters after my name,” said Enrile, referring to her doctorate degree, and feels a responsibility to use her role at USC to help others. “Getting in the door was not even enough,” she said. “We need more representation and so that was a big part of my introduction to Title IX. We should be looking at how we are really leveling the playing field for everyone and holding those accountable who influence the playing field. Really, there’s very few mechanisms that we have and Title IX is one of them that helps actually build that equity and inclusion.”
Enrile, who leads the Philippines immersion program at the School of Social Work, is currently partnering with She the People, an organization dedicated to elevating the political voice and leadership of women of color as part of a new progressive political and cultural era. She also sees a return to women’s rights issues as being imminent due to the current climate regarding the United States Supreme Court and Roe v. Wade.
“In the near future, Title IX is going to be even more essential again when you consider the backdrop and the context of our country right now where the biggest debates that are raging have to do with the control and commodification of women’s bodies,” Enrile said. “We will come back to some very fundamental things that started Title IX in the first place. I think in the best circumstances, Title IX is a clear source of empowerment and those are things that we strive for and are aspirational.”