Patsy Mink: Hawaiian Trailblazer

In 1970, Patsy Takemoto Mink came before the Senate for the hearing of George Carswell, a Supreme Court Nominee.  She was the first non-white and Asian American women elected to Congress in 1964.  She was a representative from Hawaii and a graduate from the University of Chicago.  Her work brought to the light the inequalities of women in the workforce. The judge she opposed for the Supreme Court refused to hear a case based on gender inequality.   Mink’s work drew attention to the unfair treatment of women in the United States.  She pushed for legislation to support better children care and early childhood.  She was an independently minded person who was not scared to speak her mind.  She served in Congress for 12 years and overcame tremendous obstacles in her lifetime.   Her work as a trailblazing politician is often overlooked.