[ OUR OPINION ]
PATSY Mink's remarkable attributes were appreciated as much in the halls of Congress as they were in these islands. House members have asked Speaker Dennis Hastert to authorize the privately financed commission of a portrait or sculpture of Mink to be displayed in the Capitol to memorialize her contributions to society. Such a memorial would be a fitting tribute to a woman whose accomplishments will remain legendary. Mink remembered as
independent, tough, yet kind
THE ISSUE Members of Congress join Hawaii residents in mourning the loss of Rep. Patsy Mink.
Many members of Congress are in Hawaii today to join residents in mourning Mink's death. Numerous House members considered Mink to be their mentor. "She was not afraid to lead," said Rep. Zoe Lofgren, D-Calif. "And petite as she was, she was always big enough to share the limelight. How someone could be so tough and so firm and yet be also warm and kind is a wonder. She was funny, smart, brave, a visionary. She helped teach all of us, and we are in her debt."
Patsy Mink
Mink's sharp and independent mind, her social conscience and her tenacity, with successful results, were well-recognized in Congress. She was able to break down barriers to create opportunities for herself and, through legislation, for others. As a North Carolina congressman remarked colloquially, "She was tough as a leather knot."
Those close to Mink in Congress were aware of the personal battles that preceded her political career: how she was placed in housing for "colored" students at the University of Nebraska and launched a protest that forced the university to change its policy; how she learned after earning her bachelor's degree in zoology and chemistry in preparation for medical school that medical schools in 1948 would not admit women, forcing her to turn to the law as a career; how she was forced to challenge residency requirements to gain admittance to the Hawaii bar because her husband was from Pennsylvania; how no law firm would hire women, so she opened her own law practice.
Colleagues who lined up in the House chambers this week to pay homage to Mink consider her most significant achievement to be her co-authorship of Title IX of the Education Act in 1972, requiring sexual equality in any education program receiving federal assistance. As a result of Title IX, women in 1994 received 38 percent of medical degrees, 43 percent of law degrees and 44 percent of all doctoral degrees, compared with of 9 percent of medical degrees, 7 percent of law degrees and 25 percent of doctoral degrees in 1972.
"When we consider that over 80 percent of women in senior executive positions today report having participated in organized sports after grammar school, we can know that Patsy Mink's work has changed the face of the nation," said Rep. Robert Scott, D-Va.
"When Patsy spoke, she spoke from her soul," said Rep. John Lewis, D-Ga. She spoke from her heart. She had the capacity to get our attention and hold our attention when she stepped into the well of this House. She spoke with passion. Determined, dedicated and committed, Patsy was a fighter. She fought for civil rights, social justice and equality. She was a champion of education.
"Patsy stood by her convictions," Lewis added. "She would not yield to the prevailing wind. She did not put her fingers into the air to see which way the wind was blowing."
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