Kobre & Kim Honors Patsy Mink to Conclude Asian American/Pacific Islander Heritage Month

June 4, 2021

As we conclude the celebration of Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, Kobre & Kim honors trailblazing attorney and public servant Patsy T. Mink.

Ms. Mink had a distinguished career in law and public service, becoming the first woman of color elected to the U.S. House of Representatives and the first Asian American woman to serve in Congress. Among her many achievements is crafting the Title IX law which bars discrimination based on sex in educational activities and programs. After she passed away in 2002, the Title IX law was officially renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act in her honor.

Ms. Mink was born Patsy Matsu Takemoto on December 6, 1927, in Paia, Hawaii. From an early age, she showed an interest in serving others, and by the time she was a junior in high school, she was elected class president and became its valedictorian. 

Ms. Mink enrolled in Wilson College in Pennsylvania and then transferred to the University of Nebraska. While at Nebraska, she encountered discrimination in the form of separate dormitories for students of color. Ms. Mink and a group of fellow students of color successfully banded together to end this practice by the university and integrate the dorms. 

Ms. Mink continued her education at the University of Chicago Law School where she met her husband John Francis Mink.