Patsy Mink facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Patsy Mink
Official portrait, c. 1994
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Hawaii
In office September 22, 1990 – September 28, 2002
Preceded by	Daniel Akaka
Succeeded by	Ed Case
Constituency	2nd district
In office January 3, 1965 – January 3, 1977
Preceded by	Thomas Gill
Succeeded by	Daniel Akaka
Constituency	At-large Seat B (1965–1971) 2nd district (1971–1977)
Member of the Honolulu City Council from the 9th district
In office December 1, 1982 – December 1, 1986
Succeeded by	John DeSoto
Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
In office March 28, 1977 – May 1, 1978
President	Jimmy Carter
Preceded by	Frederick Irving
Succeeded by	Thomas R. Pickering
Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus
In office January 3, 1975 – January 3, 1977
Leader	Carl Albert
Preceded by	Leonor Sullivan
Succeeded by	Shirley Chisholm
Personal details
Born	Patsy Matsu Takemoto (1927-12-06)December 6, 1927 Hāmākua Poko, Hawaii Territory, U.S.
Died	September 28, 2002(2002-09-28) (aged 74) Honolulu, Hawaii, U.S.
Resting place	National Cemetery of the Pacific
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	John Mink
Children	1
Education	Wilson College University of Nebraska–Lincoln University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa (BS) University of Chicago (JD)

Patsy Matsu Mink (born Takemoto; December 6, 1927 – September 28, 2002) was an American lawyer and politician from Hawaii. She served in the United States House of Representatives for 24 years as a member of the Democratic Party. She was in Congress from 1965 to 1977, and again from 1990 until her death in 2002.

Patsy Mink made history as the first woman of color and the first Asian-American woman to be elected to the U.S. Congress. She is well-known for her work on laws that helped advance women's rights and education.

Mink was a third-generation Japanese American, born and raised on the island of Maui. She faced challenges like racism and discrimination throughout her life. These experiences inspired her to fight for equal rights for everyone.

Early Life and Education

Patsy Matsu Takemoto was born on December 6, 1927, in Hāmākua Poko, a sugar plantation camp on Maui. Her family was of Japanese descent. Her mother was a homemaker, and her father was a civil engineer.

Patsy was a very bright student. She started school at age four. Later, she attended the Kaunoa English Standard School, which was mostly for white students. She felt a bit lonely there. She then went to Maui High School, where she became the first girl to be student body president. She graduated as the top student in her class in 1944.

University of Hawaii Oratorical Contest Winners 1948 – Patsy Takemoto (center) won first place.

Patsy wanted to become a doctor. She went to the University of Hawaii at Mānoa and later to the University of Nebraska. At the University of Nebraska, she found that students of color had to live in separate dorms. This made her angry, so she organized students and others to fight against these segregation rules. Her efforts helped end the university's segregation policies that same year.

After getting sick, Patsy returned to Hawaii to finish her studies. She earned degrees in zoology and chemistry in 1948. She applied to 12 medical schools, but none accepted her because she was a woman. At that time, many returning soldiers were applying, making it harder for women to get in. Her supervisor at the Honolulu Academy of Arts suggested she consider law instead.

Patsy was accepted into the University of Chicago Law School in 1948. While there, she met and married John Francis Mink. After they both graduated in 1951, Patsy found it hard to get a job as a married, female, Asian-American lawyer. After her daughter, Gwendolyn, was born in 1952, the family moved to Hawaii.

Starting Her Career in Law and Politics

When Patsy Mink moved to Hawaii, she faced another challenge. She was told she couldn't take the bar exam (which lawyers need to pass) because, as a married woman, she had lost her Hawaiian residency. She fought this rule, arguing it was unfair to women. The Attorney General agreed with her, and she passed the exam, becoming the first Japanese-American woman licensed to practice law in Hawaii.

Even after passing the bar, law firms wouldn't hire her because she was married and had a child. So, with her father's help, she opened her own law firm in 1953. She also started teaching law at the University of Hawaii. Her firm handled cases in criminal and family law, which other firms often avoided.

Entering Politics

Patsy Mink became very active in politics. She helped start the Everyman Organization, which was a key part of the Young Democrats club in Hawaii. She believed that laws could change unfair customs. In 1955, she worked as a lawyer for the Hawaiian territorial legislature, helping to write laws.

In 1956, she ran for a seat in the Hawaiian Territorial Legislature and won. This made her the first woman of Japanese ancestry to serve in the territorial House. Two years later, she became the first woman to serve in the territorial Senate.

In 1960, Patsy Mink gained national attention at the Democratic National Convention in Los Angeles. She spoke strongly in favor of civil rights, arguing that all Americans should have equal opportunity and protection under the law. Her efforts helped ensure that the Democratic Party's platform supported equal rights.

Serving in the U.S. Congress

First Time in Congress (1965–1977)

In 1964, Patsy Mink ran for a federal office and won a seat in the United States House of Representatives. This was a big achievement. She became the first woman from Hawaii elected to Congress, the first woman of color elected to the House, and the first Japanese-American woman in Congress.

She served six terms in a row, from 1965 to 1977. She focused on issues important to her, like children, education, and gender equality. She supported President Lyndon B. Johnson's "Great Society" programs, which aimed to reduce poverty and inequality. She also spoke out against the Vietnam War.

Patsy Mink joined the Committee on Education and Labor. In the late 1960s, she introduced important laws under the Early Childhood Education Act. These included the first federal child-care bill, and bills for bilingual education, Head Start, school lunch programs, special education, and student loans. She also worked on the Elementary and Secondary Education Act of 1965.

In 1970, she became the first person to speak against a Supreme Court nominee because of discrimination against women. She highlighted how the nominee had not supported a case about employment discrimination against a woman with children. This was a new way to evaluate a court nominee.

Mink also took legal action against the Environmental Protection Agency in 1971 to get documents about nuclear testing. This led to important changes in how the government had to share information under the Freedom of Information Act.

Title IX: A Major Achievement

One of Patsy Mink's most famous achievements was co-authoring and supporting the Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act in 1972. This law stops gender discrimination in schools and colleges that receive federal money. In 2002, the law was renamed the "Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act" in her honor.

She also introduced the Women's Educational Equity Act of 1974. This law provided money to promote gender fairness in schools and to fight gender stereotypes in textbooks. Mink worked on many other laws to help women, including those dealing with equal pay, credit, and health care.

In 1975, Patsy Mink attended the World Conference on Women in Mexico City. She helped get support for a U.S. women's conference. Later, she fought hard to protect Title IX when some tried to change it to allow unequal funding for men's and women's sports. Her efforts helped keep Title IX strong.

Running for President and Other Roles

In 1971, Patsy Mink decided to run for president, hoping to become the Democratic Party's nominee. She was the first Asian-American woman to run for president. She ran as an anti-war candidate in the 1972 Oregon primary.

After leaving Congress in 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed her as Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs. In this role, she worked on environmental issues like protecting whales.

From 1980 to 1982, Mink was president of Americans for Democratic Action. She then returned to Honolulu and was elected to the Honolulu City Council in 1983, where she served as Chair for a time.

Return to Congress (1990–2002)

In 1990, Patsy Mink was elected back to the U.S. House of Representatives to finish a term, and then she was reelected six more times. She worked to bring back protections in social and economic programs that had been cut back.

She co-sponsored the Gender Equity Act of 1993 and pushed for universal health care. She also worked on laws about minimum wage, workplace safety, and violence against women.

In 1994, Mink helped create the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, and she chaired it from 1995 to 1997. She also co-chaired the House Democratic Women's Caucus. She opposed welfare reform laws that she felt would harm children and families. She also opposed the creation of the United States Department of Homeland Security, fearing it might limit civil liberties, like the internment camps for Japanese Americans during World War II.

Death and Legacy

Mink, 2002

Patsy Mink passed away on September 28, 2002, at age 74, due to complications from chickenpox and pneumonia. Her death was a sad loss for the nation. Flags at military institutions were lowered to half staff in her honor. She received a state funeral in Hawaii.

Patsy Mink is remembered as a woman who used her own experiences with discrimination to help others. She dedicated her career to opening doors for women and minorities through public policies.

In 2002, the Title IX Amendment of the Higher Education Act was renamed the "Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act" in her honor. Her important papers are kept at the Library of Congress.

Many other honors have been given to her:

• In 2003, the Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation was created to help low-income women and children with education.
• She was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame in 2003.
• A post office in Maui was named the Patsy Takemoto Mink Post Office Building.
• In 2007, the Central Oahu Regional Park on Oahu was renamed "Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park."
• In 2014, she was given the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.
• In 2022, a portrait of her was put on display in the U.S. Capitol.
• Patsy Mink will be honored on an American Women quarter in 2024.

Documentary films like Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority (2008) and Rise of the Wahine (2014) tell her story. These films show how she overcame challenges and how her work, especially with Title IX, helped expand opportunities for women, including in sports.

Selected Works

• Mink, Patsy (September 1966). "Education—The Vision of America". The School Counselor (American School Counselor Association) 14 (1): 5–12. ISSN 0036-6536. OCLC 5792465172.
• Mink, Patsy (December 1970). "The Status of Women". Educational Horizons (Pi Lambda Theta) 49 (2): 54–56. ISSN 0013-175X. OCLC 5792526438.
• Mink, Patsy (1971). "Micronesia: Our Bungled Trust". Texas International Law Forum (University of Texas at Austin) (6): 181–207. ISSN 0040-4381. OCLC 16332426.
• Mink, Patsy (1976). "Energy and Environment: Which Is Undermining Which?". Natural Resources Lawyer (American Bar Association) (9): 19–39. ISSN 2328-3416. OCLC 772508196.
• Mink, Patsy (1976). "Reclamation and Rollcalls: The Political Struggle over Stripmining". Environmental Policy and Law (Elsevier Science Publishers) 2 (4): 176–180. doi:10.1016/S0378-777X(76)80011-X. ISSN 0378-777X. OCLC 4933180255.
• Mink, Patsy; Hartmann, Heidi I. (Spring 1994). "Wrap-up". Social Justice (Social Justice/Global Options via JSTOR) 21 (1): 110–113.
• Mink, Patsy (October 1996). "Nuclear Waste: The Most Compelling Environmental Issue Facing the World Today". Fordham Environmental Law Journal (Fordham University School of Law) 8 (1): 165–170. ISSN 1079-6657. OCLC 7851122029.

See also

• List of Asian Americans and Pacific Islands Americans in the United States Congress
• List of United States Congress members who died in office
• Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park
• Women in the United States House of Representatives

Images for kids

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  Mink with Lyndon Johnson after his trip to Hawaii for a conference on the Vietnam War, February 1966

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  1972 campaign poster image from the Patsy Mink for President Committee

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  Mink announcing the formation of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus

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  Mink speaking in Washington in 1993

[[Category:University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni]]