[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 52 (Friday, March 19, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E278]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                   CELEBRATING WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                              HON. ED CASE

                               of hawaii

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 17, 2021

  Mr. CASE. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the women of our nation 
and my home state of Hawaii past, present and future as we again 
celebrate Women's History Month.
  Each year during the month of March, we remember and honor the 
extraordinary American women who have made such lasting contributions 
to our culture, history and society. Long before they finally gained 
the right to vote in elections and before they broke through glass 
ceilings throughout our society, generations of women worked to expand 
the rights and opportunities previously denied to them. Women from all 
across America revolutionized their respective fields, setting the 
stage for the next generation, and the next, to pursue and attain 
equality.
  It is my honor to share with you today the stories of three 
remarkable women from Hawaii who made indelible contributions in 
education, science and politics.
  When Princess Bernice Pauahi Bishop was born in 1831, the Native 
Hawaiian population in the islands numbered about 124,000. By the time 
she wrote her will in 1883, only 44,000 Native Hawaiians remained. In 
response to these dramatic changes facing Hawaii, she committed her 
life to those who were suffering and struggling in her homeland. She 
saw that education would allow her people to adapt to a changing world 
while preserving their language, culture and identity, so she dedicated 
her royal inheritance to establish Kamehameha Schools, with the mission 
of educating the children of Hawaii. Today, Kamehameha Schools is the 
largest independent school system in the U.S., with a current 
enrollment of 6,900 students within its Pre-K-12th grade program, and 
countless alumni who have bettered Hawai`i and our nation in countless 
ways.
  Born in remote Hana, Maui in 1919, Dr. Isabella Kauakea Tau Yung 
Aiona Abbott was the first Native Hawaiian woman to receive a PhD in 
science. Abbot spent much of her childhood at the seashore with her 
mother, collecting seaweed and algae. From her mother, as her mother 
from hers and on back, she learned to distinguish the different types 
of edible seaweed and how to use them in traditional Hawaiian cooking. 
These practices, passed from mother to daughter over generations, 
catalyzed Abbott's career in natural science. She went on to get her 
PhD in botany from the University of California at Berkeley. In 1960, 
she became a lecturer in the Biology Department at Stanford, and in 
1971 she became the first woman on Stanford's biological sciences 
faculty. Abbot made unparalleled contributions to marine science, 
authoring eight books and over 150 research papers. She is credited 
with discovering over 200 different species of algae, many of which 
have been named after her, including a genus of the red algae family, 
which is called Abbottella, or ``little Abbott.''
  Patsy Mink was the first Asian-American woman to be elected to the 
U.S. House of Representatives. Although her list of accomplishments is 
extensive, Mink faced many obstacles early in her career from those who 
did not believe in gender equality. After earning her bachelor's degree 
at the University of Hawaii, Mink applied to 12 medical schools and was 
rejected by all of them. She pivoted to study law at the University of 
Chicago. After graduating, she was denied the opportunity to take the 
bar examination in Hawaii due to her gender and marital status. She 
challenged the statute, won her case, and later passed the bar only to 
find that she could not get a job because she was married and had a 
child. She opened her own practice and focused on ending discriminatory 
laws. During her political career over the subsequent years, she broke 
many glass ceilings, winning positions in the State House of 
Representatives, the State Senate and eventually the U.S. House of 
Representatives, where she served for 12 terms. During her 24 years in 
Congress, she introduced and won passage of many impactful initiatives, 
most notably the Title IX amendment that ended discrimination in 
education due to gender, religion or race. In recognition of the 
tremendous impact Title IX has had for millions of girls and women over 
the past four decades, Congress renamed Title IX the Patsy T. Mink 
Equal Opportunity in Education Act following her passing.
  I could tell countless other stories of other women of Hawaii as we 
celebrate Women's History Month, stories that serve as an inspiration 
as we look to honor the tremendous contributions of the women who 
challenged the status quo and courageously fought for equality in every 
state of our nation. They truly paved the way for the equally inspiring 
women that we are privileged to witness advancing gender equity today.
  There is still so much work to be done for women in the U.S. and 
around the world. With the rest of my colleagues in Congress, I am 
inspired this month to continue the work that brings us closer each day 
to our nation's highest ideals of freedom and equality for all.

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