Patsy Matsu Mink (better known as Patsy Mink) was born in Paia, Hawaii Territory on December 6, 1927. She was of Japanese American descent. Mink was one of two children of Suematsu Takemoto (father) and Mitama Tateyama (mother). She was the first Asian-American woman to serve in Congress and the first woman of color elected to the U.S House of Representatives.
When Patsy was older, she became her highschool’s first female president. Around the same time she decided to run, the bombings in Pearl Harbor had occurred just a few days before. This major event caused her classmates to rethink their decisions. Despite all this, she still managed to win her school’s election. Even though this was just a highschool election, this was the start of Patsy’s journey.
In Patsy's college years she had her first campaign against racism. During her time in college, she realized that the school segregated white students from students of color in housing. She started out by having an in-letter campaign and encouraged students to fight against this policy and by the next year, this policy was rescinded. After college, she married John Francis Mink and together they had Gwendolyn Mink who would, later on, grow up to be an author and an advocate for women’s rights.
After her marriage Mink moved back to Hawaii, where she started her own private law practice, making her the first woman of Japanese-American ancestry to practice law in Hawaii. In 1956, she was elected to Hawaii’s House of Representatives, and in 1964, she made history when she was elected to the United States House of Representatives, becoming the first woman of color to ever be elected to the national legislature, and the first Asian-American congresswoman.
During her time in Congress, she served six consecutive terms and took her experience as a woman of color and built one of the most influential coalitions, which included: Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act- “No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.” Many men disagreed with this act because it would mean less funding for men's sports and they believed this act was in favor of women. Despite all this, the amendment survived in the House of Representatives. This amendment was introduced by Mink but failed to withstand in the House by recorded voting.
During her time in Congress, she was seen as being ahead of her time because her views were more modern and liberal. For over four decades. She fought for the rights of immigrants, women, and children, and sought to prevent discrimination in her community. She was known to be a strong environmental advocate and worked vigorously on energy policy issues of regional, national, and even global impact. She worked with many other politicians to ensure change for the better. Mink also ran for President, making her the first Asian American to run for president. She briefly ran on an anti-war platform amidst the Vietnam War tension in 1972.
For Patsy Mink, certain titles were even renamed in her honor such as Title XI. This was because of the fact that she was a strong advocate for gender and racial equity. After her passing in 2002, the Title XI amendment was renamed in her honor as the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, and a movie was made to show her journey and battles fighting through the world of sexism and racism. Lastly, the Patsy Mink Foundation was established in her name, which gave education to low-income houses and children. They provided financial help depending on the family’s income, and over the years, have helped numerous women pursue their dreams. Patsy Mink has affected the lives of many for the better, and her work will always be remembered and cherished.
"We have to build things that we want to see accomplished, in life and in our country, based on our own personal experiences ... to make sure that others ... do not have to suffer the same discrimination." - Patsy Mink
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