THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	22
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

RECOGNIZING PATSY TAKEMOTO MINK FOR CHAMPIONING THE CAUSE OF EQUITY IN ATHLETICS ON BEHALF OF ALL WOMEN IN THE UNITED STATES.

     WHEREAS, Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink made a tremendous impact on the people of Hawaii and the nation through her illustrious career as an outstanding public servant; and

     WHEREAS, during her political career, she served a total of thirty-three years in the Hawaii territorial house, the Hawaii territorial senate, the Hawaii state senate, the Honolulu city council, and the United States House of Representatives; and

     WHEREAS, a legislative trailblazer, Congresswoman Mink is known for championing the rights of immigrants, minorities, women, families, and children; and

     WHEREAS, compassionate, articulate, and focused, Congresswoman Mink overcame gender and racial discrimination to become one of the most influential leaders of her generation; and

     WHEREAS, she attended the University of Nebraska, where she experienced racial discrimination through a policy of segregated student housing; and

     WHEREAS, characteristic of her strong sense of justice and equality, she brought together other students, their parents, the community, and university trustees to end the policy of segregated student housing; and

     WHEREAS, she later returned Hawaii and attended the University of Hawaii, graduating with degrees in zoology and chemistry in 1948, but after her graduation from the university, none of the numerous medical schools to which she applied accepted women as students; and

     WHEREAS, as a result, Congresswoman Mink decided to study law, instead of medicine, and was accepted by the University of Chicago School of Law because she was considered a "foreign student", obtaining her law degree in 1951; and

     WHEREAS, Patsy Takemoto Mink was the voice of compassion, equality, and opportunity throughout her career in politics, never wavering from her beliefs or her commitment to right the wrongs in our society; and

     WHEREAS, Patsy Takemoto Mink was the first minority woman member of the U.S. Congress, a territorial and state lawmaker who helped shape modern Hawaii, and a pioneering national legislator who co-authored Title IX in 1972, now known as the "Patsy Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act", that prohibited gender discrimination, a measure that has been credited with greatly expanding athletic programs for women in the nation’s colleges; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fourth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2008, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Legislature honors the legacy of Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink's contributions to women's college athletics throughout this country; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Coordinator of the Patsy Takemoto Mink Education Foundation for Low-Income Women and Children.

OFFERED BY:

_____________________________

Report Title: 

Equity in Athletics; Congresswoman Patsy Takemoto Mink