Patsy Mink

"It is... important to be ahead of the majority, and this means being willing to cut the first furrow in the ground and stand alone for a while if necessary."

U.S. REPRESENTATIVE
Granddaughter of Japanese immigrants
FIRST female Japanese-American attorney in Hawaii
After working as a lawyer and teacher, Mink was elected as a state senator in 1962
Three years later, she became the FIRST woman of color and the FIRST woman from Hawaii to serve in the United States House of Representatives
Served in Congress for a total of 24 years, from 1965-1977 and 1990-2002
Supported and authored legislation that upheld civil rights, immigrant rights, and education, including acting as the principal author of the famous TITLE IX law, which made gender discrimination at federally funded colleges illegal
Also served as Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs
After Mink died, Title IX was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act
Awarded a posthumous Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2014

Public domain photo by U.S. Congress, via Wikimedia Commons

Bibliography: Edwards, Sue Bradford. Women in Sports. Minneapolis: Abdo Publishing, 2017. Print.
Imani, Blair. Modern Herstory: Stories of Women and Nonbinary People Rewriting History. New York: Ten Speed Press, 2018. Print.
About Patsy Mink. Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation. https://www.patsyminkfoundation.org/about-patsy-mink

Support this organization dedicated to preserving her story:

Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation

Biographies for Kids and Young Adults

Amazing Asian Americans: Patsy Mink, Mother of Title 9

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documentary: Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority

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