[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 36 (Wednesday, February 28, 2024)]
[Senate]
[Pages S1041-S1042]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         REMEMBERING PATSY MINK

  Ms. HIRONO. Madam President, next month, the U.S. Mint will launch a 
quarter featuring the late-Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink as part of 
its American Women Quarters Program, which celebrates women who have 
made significant contributions to our country.
  Congresswoman Mink, who represented Hawaii from 1965 to 1977 and 1990 
to 2002, was a tireless advocate for gender and racial equality, and I 
am proud to have sent the letter recommending her inclusion in this 
program. Mrs. Mink's quarter will soon be in circulation alongside 
Edith Kanakaole's, another noteworthy woman from Hawaii who was honored 
by the American Women Quarters Program last year.
  Mrs. Mink can be defined by her incredible resiliency and drive in 
the face of injustice. Born on December 6, 1927, in Paia, Maui, she 
attended Maui High School and received a bachelor's degree from the 
University of Hawaii at Manoa. After being denied admission to medical 
school because of her gender, Mrs. Mink chose to pursue a law degree 
and devoted her life to fighting for civil rights.
  Over the following decades, her life was marked by an impressive 
series of firsts: She was the first Japanese American woman to practice 
law in Hawaii; the first woman elected to Hawaii's territorial 
legislature; and the first woman of color and first Asian American 
woman to serve in Congress.
  At each stage in her career, Mrs. Mink fought against prejudice and 
advocated for greater opportunities for women. While in Congress, she 
coauthored the Title IX amendment of the Higher Education Act of 1972 
(Title IX). This landmark law, comprised of only 37 words, ensured that 
no person would be denied access to any federally funded education 
program on the basis of sex. Title IX, coupled with Mrs. Mink's Women's 
Educational Equity Act of 1974, gave women and girls unprecedented 
access to educational and athletic opportunities.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S1041, February 28, 2024, in the third column, the 
following appears: At each stage of her career, Mrs. Mink fought 
against prejudice and advocated for greater opportunities for 
woman.
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: At each stage of 
her career, Mrs. Mink fought against prejudice and advocated for 
greater opportunities for women.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  Mrs. Mink also advocated for early childhood education, pushed for 
greater government transparency, and cocreated the Congressional Asian 
Pacific American Caucus--CAPAC--to promote the well-being of the Asian 
American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander community.
  After Mrs. Mink's passing on September 28, 2002, Mrs. Mink was 
inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and awarded the 
Presidential Medal of Freedom, our Nation's highest civilian award. 
Today, Mrs. Mink's legacy continues on through the Patsy Takemoto Mink 
Foundation, led by Mrs. Mink's daughter Dr. Gwendolyn Mink, which 
supports educational access for low-income women and children. In 2022, 
50 years after the passage of Title IX, we also honored Mrs. Mink's 
work by hanging her portrait in the U.S. Capitol, where it is now 
displayed directly across from the portrait of Shirley Chisholm, 
another trailblazer in her own right.


 =========================== NOTE =========================== 

  
  On page S1041, February 28, 2024, in third column, the following 
appears: After Mrs. Mink's passing on August 30, 2002, Mrs. Mink 
was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame and awarded 
the Presidential Medal of Freedom, our Nation's highest civilian 
award.
  
  The online Record has been corrected to read: After Mrs. Mink's 
passing on September 28, 2002, Mrs. Mink was inducted into the 
National Women's Hall of Fame and awarded the Presidential Medal 
of Freedom, our Nation's highest civilian award.


 ========================= END NOTE ========================= 


  Congress has also renamed the Title IX amendment of the Higher 
Education

[[Page S1042]]

Act as the ``Pasty T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.'' This 
is a fitting tribute to Mrs. Mink, whose work continues to benefit 
women, girls, and LGBTQ students today. I, like many other women, stand 
on the shoulders of Mrs. Mink, and I am lucky to have considered her a 
dear friend.
  Thank you, Congresswoman Mink, for all your contributions to our 
State and this Nation.

                          ____________________