[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 150 (Tuesday, November 19, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2108-E2109]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




              TRIBUTE TO CONGRESSWOMAN PATSY TAKEMOTO MINK

                                 ______
                                 

                    HON. JUANITA MILLENDER-McDONALD

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 19, 2002

  Ms. MILLENDER-McDONALD. Mr. Speaker, we gather today to highlight the 
legacy of one of the most distinguished and honorable Members of this 
august body, my colleague and friend--Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto 
Mink.
  Though Patsy made it to one of the highest elected offices in the 
land, she never lost the common touch. Patsy was a champion of the 
dispossessed; the downtrodden; the disenfranchised; the forgotten; she 
was the people's representative. She was a mentor to many of us in 
Congress. As the co-chair to the Congressional Caucus for Women's 
Issues, she helped me many times to redirect my course if barriers were 
placed in front of me! But that was vintage Patsy. She was always able 
to redirect her course if barriers were placed before her. Having been 
denied entrance to medical school, she chose the legal profession; and 
was the first Japanese woman to pass the bar in Hawaii. As I received 
the call of Patsy passing by my daughter Valerie, I was saddened only 
for a short time, because I began to recall all the fond memories we 
had together as a source of strength.
  We must all draw on those memories. We must celebrate the life of our 
dear friend Patsy and remember how her 24 years of distinguished 
services shaped the lives of those who had social impediments, economic 
inequality and educational restrictions. The passage of the landmark 
Title IX legislation, which opened doors that had been closed to girls 
in the athletic programs at schools around this Nation, will be a 
lasting memory of how tenaciously she fought to improve the lives of 
girls for generations to come.
  In a career that began before territorial Hawaii became a state in 
1959, Patsy Mink, with authority, wit and clear perspective, became one 
of the best-known women politicians in the United States, and the first 
woman of color elected to Congress. Patsy challenged us all! She 
challenged us with the question, ``Does it matter whether women are 
involved in politics?'' Her career speaks volumes to that question and 
her accomplishments exemplify the answer. Decisions are being made at 
the national level that will determine the quality of our lives into 
the next generation.
  Patsy Takemoto Mink--by crossing our paths--has given us the 
leadership tools to advance the agenda for the common good. Thank you 
Patsy! Mr. Speaker, on behalf of many women and Asian American 
organizations, I would like to submit to the Congressional Record, the 
following statements that highlight the life and legacy of 
Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink.

                  Tribute to Congresswoman Patsy Mink


    Remarks of Karen K. Narasaki, President and Executive Director, 
            National Asian Pacific American Legal Consortium

       I believe that Patsy is looking down on us today and 
     smiling at the beautiful mosaic of faces. It is fitting that 
     this memorial has brought together so many strands of her 
     work--organizations and congressional leaders who advocate on 
     behalf of women, civil rights, immigrants, workers, children 
     and the poor have all come together to celebrate her life.
       The Asian American and Pacific Islander community misses 
     her greatly. She served as a role model and an inspiration 
     for so many of us. She forged a path that made it possible 
     for Japanese American women like me and other women of color 
     to pursue our dreams and aspirations. She taught us that it 
     was possible to obtain great stature without having to be 
     physically tall, by defying the stereotypes that too often 
     become barriers for Asian American women who come from 
     cultures where women were expected to be seen and not heard. 
     She was a feminist before being a feminist was cool and she 
     remained one her whole life.
       The other day, my niece in third grade ran for student body 
     secretary. I asked my sister to tell her that when she was 
     ready to run for Congress, I would work on her campaign. 
     Julia asked my sister to tell me that she intended to be the 
     first woman president and didn't see any reason to start with 
     Congress. This is one of Patsy's greatest legacies--because 
     of her life and work it is possible today for a young 
     Japanese American girl to believe she can be president.
       Like many others in this room, I can still hear her voice 
     gently and not-so-gently pushing us to challenge authority 
     and popular opinion and fight fiercely for those most 
     vulnerable in our communities. She was a tough task master 
     who was never one to suffer fools gladly and she asked a lot 
     of her talented and loyal staff, but never more than she 
     asked of herself.
       I remember her call for fairness for immigrants and 
     families in poverty when she voted against the tide on harsh 
     welfare reform legislation. I hear the echoes of her 
     passionate speeches on the floor of the House about the need 
     to invest in quality education for all and job training that 
     would allow working families a living wage and access to 
     health care. Because she was never one to toot her own horn, 
     people visiting Washington would be surprised when I told 
     them to try to catch one of her speeches because she was one 
     of the last of the great orators. She was always about the 
     work--always focused on the people she served.
       Robert F. Kennedy once said, ``each time a man stands up 
     for an ideal or acts to improve the lot of others or strikes 
     out against injustice he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope. . 
     . .'' When Patsy stood up, she sent out tidal waves of hope 
     and the lives of all Americans are the better because of her.


                       REMARKS OF DR. JANE SMITH

       Thank you. I am Jane Smith, the Chief Executive Officer of 
     Business and Professional Women/USA.
       I join the many Members of Congress and other 
     representatives from the women's community here today because 
     Congresswoman Mink and BPW share a very long history. The 
     Congresswoman was a member of BPW for at least four decades. 
     But Congresswoman Mink was not simply an affiliate

[[Page E2109]]

     member. She truly epitomized what BPW considers its greatest 
     strength--the grassroots member.
       Congresswoman Mink attended the meetings of her local BPW 
     organization regularly and even cast votes in BPW's 
     leadership elections. She spoke at our annual policy 
     conference many times, sharing her insight on the ins and 
     outs of what was happening here on Capitol Hill. In fact, 
     each year before BPW's policy conference she would call her 
     BPW contacts in Hawaii to find out who would be attending the 
     conference and when the BPW members arrived in Washington she 
     took them all out to lunch.
       One of my favorite stories about the Congresswoman took 
     place about six years ago when BPW's leadership was asked to 
     testify in front of the House Education and Workforce 
     Committee about increasing the minimum wage. A number of BPW 
     members, who were also small business owners, presented 
     testimony and at the conclusion of the hearing Congresswoman 
     Mink said that the hearing was her proudest day as a BPW 
     member.
       In 1998, the BPW Foundation awarded Congresswoman Mink a 
     Women Mean Business Award and BPW's political arm--BPW/PAC--
     has endorsed her for Congress every time she ran. BPW has 
     honored Congresswoman Mink because she was a grassroots 
     member who exhibited incredible leadership and vision. In the 
     words of BPW's past National President and BPW/Hawaii 
     member--Leslie Wilkins, ``We have lost one of our greatest 
     mentors. My only solace is the legacy she has left behind. 
     She has inspired countless women--and men--to go forward with 
     her work.''


  Remarks of Bernice R. Sandler, Senior Scholar, Women'S Research and 
                          Education Institute

       Title IX was easily passed because hardly anyone recognized 
     the enormous changes it would require, and because it was 
     hidden away in the Education Amendments of 1972. It passed 
     easily because two women laid the groundwork for it in the 
     House Committee on Education and Labor, one, Rep. Edith Green 
     who introduced the bill and shepherded it through the 
     Congress, and Rep. Patsy Mink. They were the only two women 
     on the committee with 32 men. But together, they forged a 
     revolution.
       Of course after Title IX was passed, people found out what 
     it would do. Between 1974 and 1977 there were at least 10 
     bills introduced to weaken Title IX, and Patsy Mink was in 
     the forefront defending Title IX. If supporting Title IX and 
     other women's issues were all she had done, it would have 
     been enough. But she didn't stop there.
       Let me start by telling you about Arlene Horowitz, then a 
     secretary on the Hill who came to me about an idea for a 
     Congressional bill in 1971, before Title IX was even passed. 
     She asked: Why not have a bill so that the government will 
     fund materials for teachers and others about women and girls 
     to counter the effects of sex role stereotyping? I thought 
     Arlene was crazy and--no one in their right mind in Congress 
     would ever support such a bill. Arlene, fortunately did not 
     listen to me. She went to other women who were also 
     skeptical, and then to Patsy Mink. Patsy Mink did not think 
     Arlene was crazy. She gave us the go ahead and so the Women's 
     Educational Equity Act, affectionately known as WEEA, was 
     born.
       Even while we worked on the drafting of the bill, many of 
     us still thought it wouldn't pass but that if hearings were 
     held, maybe it would send a message to publishers to begin 
     publishing such materials on their own. In 1973, Patsy Mink 
     held hearings and convinced Senator Mondale to do the same in 
     the Senate, and in 1974 the bill passed.
       Just like Title IX WEEA was hidden away in another bill, 
     the Elementary and Secondary Education Act. Patsy Mink knew 
     her politics.
       As the mother of the Women's Educational Equity Act, she 
     started a program that has developed hundreds of all kinds of 
     resources for educators and other concerned about the 
     education of women and girls. Yesterday I looked through the 
     catalogue of the Educational Development Center which 
     publishes and disseminates WEEA materials. In addition to 
     materials such as 600 Strategies That Really Work to Increase 
     Girls Participation in Sciences, Mathematics and Computers, 
     there were materials about working with immigrant girls, 
     Native American women and girls, Latina women and girls, 
     materials about women of the South, about Cuban American 
     Women, single sex education, a resource manual for single 
     mothers, materials for working with disabled girls and yes, 
     even materials for providing equity for boys. All of these 
     materials have had an enormous impact on not only on teachers 
     but on so many the children and women in our educational 
     institutions. Patsy Mink leaves us a legacy--not only the 
     legacy of defending Title IX but one which enriched Title IX. 
     She gave us the educational tools to deal with the effects of 
     sex discimination and indeed to prevent sex discrimination 
     from occurring in the first place. Thank you, thank you, 
     Patsy. You have made a lasting difference.


       Remarks From the Every Mother Is a Working Mother Network

       Grassroots women suffered a great loss with the passing of 
     Congresswoman Patsy Mink. Herself a woman of color, she stood 
     for us, she stood with us, and she stood as one of us and we 
     wonder now who will be our voice on the Hill. We are proud to 
     have known Congresswoman Mink, to have worked with her and to 
     have her encourage us. The last time we saw her was at a 
     Congressional briefing we held in June of this year on 
     valuing the work of caregivers in welfare policy. We invited 
     her to the briefing because we wanted to honor her for her 
     unswerving insistence that the work of mothers and other 
     caregivers be valued. She told us that we should not be 
     honoring her, that instead she should be thanking us for our 
     work in the face of all odds.
       You must understand we were not a typical beltway crowd. We 
     were a rather rag tag multiracial group of mothers and 
     grandmothers on welfare, some of us with disabilities, some 
     with our grandchildren in tow, who along with other 
     caregivers had gathered our pennies and traveled to DC to 
     press our case from cities on the West and East Coasts, as 
     well as the Mid-West. We are women who are studied but not 
     listened to, spoken about but not given an opportunity to 
     speak for ourselves. But her tone to us was one of respect. 
     She spoke to us as a sister, as a friend, as people to whom 
     she was accountable. Many of us who heard her at our briefing 
     speak with such truth, conviction and clarity were moved to 
     tears.
       From South Central LA to inner city Philadelphia, 
     grassroots women in our network were devastated by the news 
     of Congresswoman Mink's passing and devastated further by her 
     passing being treated in much of the mainstream media as 
     merely a passing event. She touched the lives of those living 
     daily the impact of welfare ``reform:'': those of us on the 
     bottom taking care of children and other loved ones. To her 
     colleagues on the Hill, we hope she will always be a shining 
     example of principle, commitment, integrity and compassion 
     from which you can draw courage. To advocates we hope you 
     will not forget her message. EMWM honors Representative Patsy 
     Mink, her spirit; her courage in the face of sexism, racism 
     and ageism is one that will continue to inspire us, and lives 
     on in us in our daily work for justice. Congresswoman Mink, 
     you honored us, and we now in return are honoring you. Our 
     deepest condolences to Wendy and other loved ones you have 
     left behind.


    Remarks by Kim Gandy, president and the members of the National 
                        organization for Women.

       The world lost one of its greatest citizens on September 28 
     with the death of Hawaii Congresswoman Patsy Mink. Girls and 
     women also lost one of the most valiant and steadfast 
     champions. Every woman today who is enjoying the fruits of 
     her education and job opportunities, and every girl who has a 
     chance to play sports in school, owes a nod of thanks to Mink 
     who unremittingly and dauntlessly challenged old stereotypes 
     about ``women's place'' and helped engineer the steady 
     progress for women over the last four decades--parallel to 
     Mink's career in politics.
       Patsy Mink stood up and showed up for girls and women, 
     often outnumbered and sometimes outmaneuvered. But she 
     persisted, cajoled, humored and demanded of her colleagues 
     that Congress attend to the business of over half its 
     constituents. Among many accomplishments, she was a leader in 
     shepherding the passage of Title IX in 1972 to promote 
     educational equity. One of only two women ever to receive 
     this honor, Patsy Mink was named a NOW Woman of Vision in 
     June, 2002, in a ceremony honoring the 30th anniversary of 
     Title IX. In celebrating her life we must rededicate 
     ourselves to protecting her legacy by preventing the current 
     efforts to dismantle this landmark legislation.
       In the last decade of her political leadership, Patsy Mink 
     was a vigorous advocate on behalf of poor families. Faced 
     with the bi-partisan tidal wave that pounded poor women, 
     insisting that they ``get to work'', Mink worked tirelessly 
     to promote policies that truly addressed the realities of 
     poverty and last year garnered substantial support in the 
     House of Representatives for her legislation to provide 
     additional education and skills that would support true self-
     sufficiency.
       Patsy Mink will always be remembered with love and respect 
     and gratitude. She was our champion--a tireless advocate and 
     a hero to women and girls everywhere.

     

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