Patsy Mink (1927-2002) was the first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress and run for U.S. President and the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. She wrote bills like Title IX, the Early Childhood Education Act, and the Women's Educational Equity Act. Mink was a beloved leader that helped pave the way for Asian-Americans in Hawaii and across the nation. For those of you tuning in for the first time, welcome! Here’s the deal: Every weekday, we highlight the stories of iconic women in history you may not know about, but definitely should. We’re talking about women from around the world and throughout history. Each month is themed. This month we’re going back to school, highlighting educators and intellectuals.
This month, we're going back to school with stories of the most influential women educators in history.
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Hello!
From Wonder Media Network, I’m Jenny Kaplan, and this is Womanica.
Today we’re honoring a legendary politician who throughout her career prioritized gender and racial equity in education. Not only was she the first woman of color and Asian American woman to serve in Congress, she was also a major author of Title IX.
Let’s talk about Patsy Mink.
Patsy Matsu Takemoto was born in Paia, Maui Hawaii Territory on December 6, 1927. Patsy’s grandparents emigrated from Japan to work in Hawaii’s sugar plantations. Growing up as a third generation Japanese American, Patsy witnessed heavy discrimination towards Japanese Americans and indigenous Hawaiians. When Patsy was 14 years old, fighter jets bombed Pearl Harbor. Patsy’s father was subsequently taken by authorities one night and heavily questioned. Though her dad returned safely the next day, Patsy’s family lived in fear from that point on. Patsy later said that that moment made her realize that “one couldn’t take citizenship and the promise of the US Constitution for granted.”
Patsy graduated from Maui High School as both class president and valedictorian. She went on to study at two different colleges in the mainland U.S. before moving back to Hawaii. In 1948 Patsy graduated from the University of Hawaii with a bachelors in chemistry and zoology.
Patsy’s original career goal was to become a physician, but no medical school would accept her. So she decided to change career paths and pursue law. She enrolled in University of Chicago’s law school and accidentally got accepted as a “foreign” student. At the time, Patsy was only one of two women in her class.
In 1951, Patsy earned her JD and also married graduate student John Francis Mink. A year later, the couple had their only child.
Patsy faced a lot of discrimination for being a working mother and having an interracial marriage. Many major Chicago law firms rejected her application, so her family relocated to Honolulu.
In 1953, Patsy became the first Japanese American and woman to pass the bar and practice law in Hawaii. Despite such an achievement, many law firms in Hawaii still turned her away. Patsy went into private practice and taught business law at the University of Hawaii.
It was during this time that Patsy's career in politics began. She became increasingly involved in the growing Democratic Party in pre-statehood Hawaii. In 1956, Patsy was elected to Hawaii’s territorial House of Representatives.
Hawaii became a state in 1959 and Patsy won a seat in Hawaii's state senate three years later.
In 1964, Patsy won a heated election to the U.S. House of Representatives. During her tenure, Patsy pushed for inclusive legislation on affordable child-care, special education, and bilingual schooling. We wouldn’t have a national Head Start program or even professional sabbaticals for teachers without Patsy’s legislative work.
One of Patsy’s most notable accomplishments was co-writing and sponsoring the Title IX Education Amendments of 1972, which requires public schools and universities to give all students equal treatment in education regardless of gender.
And Patsy didn’t stop there. In 1972, Patsy became the first Asian American woman to run a presidential campaign. She ran an anti-Vietnam war campaign that garnered a lot of attention, even after she withdrew.
After that, Patsy took a hiatus from Congress but came back in 1990 to defend the social welfare and gender equitable policies she helped create in the 60s and 70s.
In the mid 1990s, Patsy and her colleagues created the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus. She continued to serve in Congress until she passed away on September 28, 2002 from pneumonia.
She posthumously won her congressional election that November.
Patsy was a prolific politician and activist. She worked diligently to expand education and civil liberties for women and underprivileged communities. She often felt that she was serving a “dual role” in Congress, supporting both her district and the total population.
All month, we’re honoring champions of education. For more on why we’re doing what we’re doing, check out our newsletter, Womanica Weekly. Follow us on Facebook and Instagram, @encyclopediawomannica and follow me directly on twitter @jennymkaplan.
Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator.
Talk to you tomorrow!