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In 1964, Hawai'i's Patsy Takemoto Mink was the first Asian American woman elected to U.S. Congress.
She was Assistant Secretary of State during the Carter Administration, and was re-elected to Congress in 1990, where she served until her death in September, 2002. |
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Washington, D.C.— It seems like everyone has their own Patsy Mink story. This Asian Pacific American dynamo served 24 years in Congress in two twelve-year terms, starting in 1964. While actively serving her constituents in the Second Congressional District in Hawaii, she became a role model for many of us, especially APA women entering the legal profession and government service. She also shaped the broader social landscape in many ways, serving as a champion of the poor and disempowered, and challenging people and policies she felt were unjust. She was one of the first in Congress to call for the impeachment of President Nixon, and was an early critic of our involvement in Vietnam.
Rep. Mink's career also contains important lessons for those of us who aspire to careers in elective office. She won high office many times, but also suffered defeats when running for Governor, Senator, and Mayor of Honolulu. Despite these setbacks, she continued to speak her mind, and took positions without always worrying if they were popular. As a result of this vision, strength, intelligence, and determination, we all have benefitted from laws such as Title IX of the federal education act, which she championed in 1972, and which has opened many opportunities for women in athletics and life.
Rep. Mink passed away on September 28th at age 74, but her
legacy lives on in those of us who worked with her to build a more just and inclusive world. The Board of the Asian American Action Fund (AAA-Fund) sends its condolences to her family, staff, and Second District constituents, and asks that everyone please consider making a donation to the Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Fund for Low Income Women and Children (P.O. Box 479, Honolulu, Hawaii 96809). Even as we mourn the loss of a powerful advocate, a good friend, and our only female APA Member of Congress, let us re-double our efforts to carry on part of Patsy Mink's life work—to bring more women, APAs, and other under-represented people into elective offices at every level.
For more information, please go to www.aaa-fund.org or write to info@aaa-fund.org.
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