A Campaign for Equal Athletic Access · Harvard, Massachusetts
The law is clear. The land is available. The bodies are mostly dirt.
Sign the Petition↓ Read the case
The Problem
In the town of Harvard, Massachusetts, a boy can walk from Hildreth Elementary or Bromfield School to a baseball diamond in a couple of minutes. He can practice after school. He can stay late. He can walk home for dinner.
A girl cannot.
Harvard's female student athletes — softball players, soccer players, lacrosse players — have no comparable facility within walking distance of either school. Families drive. Schedules are sacrificed. Opportunities are lost. And for years, this town has accepted it as simply the way things are.
It is not simply the way things are. It is a violation of federal law.
Harvard's girls deserve what Harvard's boys have always had: a field they can walk to. We have identified exactly where to build it.
Harvard's girls deserve what Harvard's boys have always had: a field they can walk to.
The Legal Case
Enacted in 1972, Title IX of the Education Amendments prohibits sex-based discrimination in any educational program or activity receiving federal funding. Harvard Public Schools receives federal funding. Harvard Public Schools provides male student athletes with athletic facilities within walking distance of both schools. Harvard Public Schools provides female student athletes with no equivalent.
This is not ambiguous. This is not a gray area. This is the definition of what Title IX was written to prevent.
The Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Education evaluates Title IX compliance across three areas: participation opportunities, athletic financial assistance, and other program components — including facility quality and access. On the question of facility access, Harvard does not comply.
20 U.S.C. § 1681 et seq. · 34 C.F.R. Part 106
We have notified no one yet. We would prefer to solve this locally, with a solution that benefits the entire community. We have one in mind.
"The law does not grade on a curve."
The Solution
At the corner of Route 110 and Route 111, directly adjacent to the Bromfield School and within walking distance of Hildreth Elementary, sits four acres of flat, centrally located, town-owned land.
It is called the Center Cemetery.
The first burial took place in 1733. Since then, 2,311 individuals have taken up permanent residence on what is arguably the most athletically promising piece of real estate in Harvard. The land is flat. The location is ideal. The current occupants have not lodged a formal complaint in several centuries.
We propose converting the Center Cemetery into the Harvard Girls Athletic Complex — a dedicated multi-sport facility featuring:
The residents of Center Cemetery have rested peacefully since 1733. We honor their service to this community. We ask only that they share.
Frequently Asked Questions
What about the bodies?
This is a common first reaction, and we respect it. However, it is worth noting that the earliest burials at Center Cemetery date to 1733 — nearly 300 years ago. At this stage, what remains is mineral in nature. The land is, for all practical purposes, topsoil. Rich, historic, well-composted topsoil. Softball fields have been built on less.
Isn't this disrespectful to the dead?
We would ask you to consider what disrespect truly looks like. Is it converting unused land to serve the living daughters of this community? Or is it allowing a federal civil rights violation to persist, year after year, while girls load into minivans and drive past a perfectly flat four-acre parcel on their way to a field twenty minutes away? We believe the dead, if consulted, would understand.
What about the 52 Revolutionary War veterans buried there?
We have considered this carefully. These were individuals who fought, sacrificed, and in many cases died so that future generations could enjoy the rights and freedoms of a just society. Title IX is a product of that society. It is not a stretch to suggest they would have supported it. We propose naming the softball diamond in their honor.
Are there legal obstacles to converting a cemetery?
Yes. Massachusetts General Law Chapter 114 governs the disestablishment of cemeteries and imposes meaningful procedural requirements. We are aware of this. We are also aware of 20 U.S.C. § 1681. We will let those two statutes work it out.
Has anyone actually been buried there recently?
Bellevue Cemetery on Still River Road has served as Harvard's primary burial ground since 1893. Center Cemetery has been largely inactive for over 130 years. The land has, in every meaningful sense, already moved on. We are simply making it official.
Who We Are
Dead Center Field is a grassroots coalition of Harvard parents, educators, and community members who believe that equal access to athletic facilities is not a privilege — it is a right guaranteed by federal law.
Amy Nutt
Co-Chair · Mother of one daughter, zero sons
I have driven past that cemetery every single day for eleven years. Every single day I think: that is a softball field.
Bill Ference
Co-Chair · Legal Advisor · Has strong opinions
I'm not a Title IX attorney. But I've read the statute. It's not long.
Patricia Houghton-Farwell
Community Liaison · Descendant of two Center Cemetery residents
My great-great-grandmother has been in that ground since 1887. She was a very practical woman. She would have wanted this.
Dr. James Whitfield
Advisory Board · Youth sports coach · 14 seasons
We have turned away girls from this program for lack of field space. That ends.
Sign the Petition
Add your name to the growing list of Harvard residents demanding equal athletic access for female student athletes — and a practical, locally available solution to make it happen.
signatures and counting · Goal: 500