Patsy Takemoto Mink
The first woman of color elected to the U.S. Congress, who led Title IX, the educational equality law.
Patsy Takemoto Mink (1927–2002) was a Japanese-American politician born in Hawaii. In an era when doors did not open easily at many crossroads because she was Asian American and because she was a woman, she took the stage of politics and threw herself into the work of changing the very rules of American society.
The reverse of the coin shows Mink standing in front of the U.S. Capitol. In her hand she holds the document of Title IX, the educational equality law, and around her neck she wears a lei, the garland symbolic of Hawaii. Below is inscribed the phrase “Equal Opportunity in Education,” telling at a glance what she fought for.
Mink was the first woman of color to become a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. In particular, Title IX, which she spearheaded, is a law ensuring that no one is discriminated against in schools and education on the basis of sex; thanks to this law, countless girls gained new opportunities to learn, to play sports, and to dream. In effect, her touch is deeply woven into the American schools of today.
The path she walked was by no means smooth. In an era when it was seen as unusual for an Asian-American woman even to enter public office, Mink held her ground while facing prejudice and opposition one by one. So that the next generation would not have to endure the disadvantages she had experienced, she paved a sturdy road in the form of laws and institutions.
This quarter, depicting her standing proudly in front of the Capitol, helps us remember how the courage of one person opened the door of the classroom wide to everyone.