[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 162 (2016), Part 2]
[House]
[Page 2558]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




  RECOGNIZING THE ACCOMPLISHMENTS OF THE HONORABLE PATSY MINK DURING 
                         WOMEN'S HISTORY MONTH

  (Ms. GABBARD asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Ms. GABBARD. Mr. Speaker, after graduating from Maui High in 1944 as 
class president and valedictorian, and attempting college with dreams 
of becoming a doctor, Patsy Mink had over a dozen medical schools slam 
the door shut simply because she was a woman.
  Rather than quit, she took action. She went to law school, becoming 
the first Japanese American female attorney in Hawaii, and was elected 
as the first Asian American woman ever to Congress in 1965.
  Through her 12 terms in the House of Representatives serving Hawaii's 
Second District, which I am honored to represent today, she was a true 
champion for equal rights and opportunity.
  In 1972, her landmark bill, Title IX, was signed into law, 
legislation that has since allowed young women all across the country 
the very same opportunities to jump high, run fast, hit hard, and go 
the extra mile, the same as their male counterparts.
  As we kick off Women's History Month, let us recognize and celebrate 
Patsy Mink and the countless other women throughout our Nation's 
history who have blazed trails before us and broken down barriers for a 
better future for our next generation.

                          ____________________