The legacy of Patsy Takemoto Mink cannot be pinned to one ideal or cause. While her trademark was ensuring equal rights for women, Mink was a spokesperson for many controversial issues.
She often took unpopular stances against such things as nuclear testing and was among the first to speak out against the Vietnam War.
After serving in the Hawaii State House of Representatives from 1956 to 1958, and the Hawaii State Senate from 1958 to 1959, and again from 1962 to 1964, Patsy made history in 1964 when she became the first woman of color and the first Asian-American woman elected to the U.S. Congress.
She represented the state of Hawaii from 1965 to 1977, and again from 1990 until her death in 2002. During her break from Congress, Patsy served in Jimmy Carter's administration as an assistant secretary of state for oceans international, environmental, and scientific affairs. She also was president of Americans for Democratic Action, served on the Honolulu City Council, maintained a private law practice, and founded the Public Reporter, an organization monitoring the Hawaii State legislature.
“She was my role model as most mothers are,” says Wendy Mink, a political scientist, author and daughter of Patsy. Wendy added that her mother showed “personal courage” and a “deep love for humanity.” To Wendy, her mother was the breaker of barriers for women, people of color and the underprivileged.
While Patsy was the first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress, she had already endured her share of struggles. After graduating from the University of Hawaii in 1948 with dual degrees in zoology and chemistry, more than 20 medical schools repeatedly denied her acceptance because she was a woman and a person of color.
However, according to her daughter, Patsy's legacy is that she never gave up on the fights worth fighting — even when it meant standing alone
Unfazed, Patsy took to law as a different way to utilize her intelligence and hard work. She eventually earned a juris doctorate degree from the University of Chicago Law School in 1951.
Patsy's accomplishments, however, did not shield her from opposition. She fought to take the Bar Exam in Hawaii because her marriage to John Mink made her a resident of his home state, Pennsylvania.
Again, she moved forward. Patsy started her own law firm then moved into politics where she was able to open a myriad of doors for women, poverty-stricken immigrants of all ethnicities, and other underprivileged Americans.
“I don't think she remembered her life in punctuations of struggles, but rather in the joy of what can be accomplished with hard work and solidarity,” Wendy said.
Throughout her political career, Patsy received due credit for a host of achievements that bettered the lives of all races and ethnic backgrounds, particularly women, in the United States. Her most notable achievement was the passage of Title IX of the Educational Amendments 1972, now known as the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act. Title IX was the gateway for many women's rights, including equal opportunities in education and in the realm of sports.
“I do not think (her success with Title IX) is her thumbnail,” Wendy said. “She was a drive for the powerless in many ways. It wasn't one thing — it was a body of work that was about ending (disparity) in society.”
The Patsy T. Mink Papers — that are in the Library of Congress — illustrate several of Patsy's passions. She shared ideals with Martin Luther King, Jr., as they both fought against an all-white Mississippi Congressional Delegation in 1964. She was against nuclear testing, particularly the Cannikan test off the coast of Alaska in 1971, and she worked to strengthen the 1966 Freedom of Information Act.
In her honor, Wendy Mink and her father, John, founded the Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation as a way for low-income women and children to find success through scholarships and education. The foundation awards five or six scholarships each year with more than 600 applications coming in annually.
Wendy said it is not a way to “summarize” her mother's life, but certainly a way to honor her fight for equality.
“People can make a difference, and make their voices heard,” Wendy concluded.