Lesson 4:Patsy Mink and Title IX

Level: W
DRA: 60
Genre:
Narrative Nonfiction
Strategy:
Monitor/Clarify
Skill:
Sequence of Events
Word Count: 2,170
Patsy Mink
and Title IX
5.1.4
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
ISBN-13:978-0-547-02226-0
ISBN-10:0-547-02226-3
by D. Jeanne Glaser
1032129
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN
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Patsy Mink
and Title IX
by D. Jeanne Glaser
PHOTOGRAPHY CREDITS: Cover © Bettman/CORBIS. Title Page Joe Marquette/AP Wide World Photos. 3 © Bettman/
CORBIS. 5 Ralph Crane/Getty Images. 6 George Silk/Getty Images. 7 © Bettmann/CORBIS. 10 © Bettmann/CORBIS.
12 C Squared Studios/Getty Images. 13 Ralph Crane/Getty Images. 15 Mitchell Layton/WNBAE/Getty Images. 17 Joe
Marquette/AP Wide World Photos.
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Printed in China
ISBN-13: 978-0-547-02226-0
ISBN-10: 0-547-02226-3
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Table of Contents
Introduction: Patsy Mink and Title IX
3
A Lifelong Fight for Equality
4
Law School
5
More Discrimination
6
Running for Office
7
How Title IX Began
8
The Hard Road to Passage of Title IX
10
The Battle Is Won… Or Is It?
12
Mink Fights to Protect Title IX
13
Supporters Take Up the Fight
14
The Battle Continues
15
Patsy Mink’s Legacy Lives On
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Introduction: Patsy Mink and
Title IX
Patsy Takemoto Mink is a
name to know. Mink was a
United States Congresswoman
from Hawaii. She was responsible
for passing an important law. The
law guaranteed women equal
opportunities in education. The
law was signed in June 1972. It is
known as Title IX (nine).
In 1972, few people knew
the changes the law would
bring. It created a new era in
President Lyndon
Johnson greeted Patsy
Mink after her election
to Congress in 1964.
women’s sports. Before Title IX,
most public schools discouraged girls from playing sports.
The new law changed that. The law promised female
students opportunities to play sports. Those opportunities
were supposed to be equal to those given to male students.
Thanks to Title IX, hundreds of thousands of girls and
women played sports in school for the first time. Patsy
Mink was important in getting Title IX passed. She also
worked hard to protect this law.
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A Lifelong Fight for Equality
Why did Patsy Takemoto Mink care so much about
equal rights for women? The answer lies in her early life.
Mink was a Japanese American woman. In the 1940s and
1950s, she faced many obstacles and challenges. Mink’s
interest in equality began during those years.
Patsy Takemoto was born in Hawaii in 1927. Her
family had lived in Hawaii since the 1800s. That was
when her grandparents moved to Hawaii from Japan.
Her grandparents came to work on Hawaii’s sugar
plantations.
Growing up in Hawaii, Patsy dreamed of becoming
a doctor. In 1948, she graduated from college. Then she
applied to medical school. She was an excellent student,
but she did not get in to 12 different medical schools! At
that time, most medical schools did not accept female
students. People of Japanese descent were also discriminated against during that time. As a Japanese American
woman, Patsy could not get into medical school.
Despite this obstacle, Patsy Takemoto wanted to
succeed in life. The experience also led her to fight
against the unfair treatment of women.
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Law School
Patsy couldn’t get into
medical school. So she went
after another dream. Patsy
believed that people should
serve others. She decided she
could help people by becoming
a lawyer. For women, getting
into law school was as hard
as getting into medical school.
However, Patsy was admitted
to the University of Chicago’s
law school.
John and Patsy Mink at
home in Hawaii
Patsy graduated from law
school in 1951. But then she faced another obstacle. No law
firm in Chicago would hire her. This was because Patsy
had married John Mink while she was in law school.
Employers had a uniform policy. They refused to hire
married women. They thought married women should
stay home.
Patsy Mink was not able to get a job. She and her
husband left Chicago with their six-month-old daughter,
Wendy. They returned to Hawaii.
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More Discrimination
In Hawaii, Mink faced more discrimination, or unfair
treatment. She needed to pass a qualifying exam to practice
law in Hawaii. But government officials said she could not
take the exam. They said only residents of Hawaii could
take the exam. This was the rule, even though Mink had
been born and raised in Hawaii.
Mink was very angry. When she learned the reason
why Hawaii did not think she was a resident, she was
shocked. Her husband had been born in Pennsylvania.
The officials used her husband’s birthplace to figure out
her residency. In the opinion of the government, Mink
didn’t count. She only existed
through her husband.
But Mink did not give
up. She fought for the
right to take the exam—
and won. When she
passed the exam, she
made history. She
became the first Japanese
American woman lawyer
in Hawaii’s history.
Honolulu, Hawaii, in the 1950s
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Running for Office
Unfortunately, law firms
in Hawaii had unfair hiring
policies. These policies were
nearly identical to those of
Chicago firms. No Hawaiian
firms would hire a woman. Still,
Mink refused to be intimidated.
She decided to run for public
office instead.
Mink’s reason for entering
politics was simple. Politics
offered a way to stop discrimination against women. In 1956, she
achieved her goal. She became
Representative Patsy Mink
was elected to Congress
in 1964. In this picture, she
hangs a homemade sign on
her office door.
the first Japanese American
woman to serve in the Hawaii State House of Representatives.
She was only 29 years old. Mink was a successful state lawmaker. Less than ten years later, she was elected to the
Hawaii State Senate. She worked to make sure women got
equal pay and equal opportunities in education.
In 1964, Mink again made history. She was elected to
the United States Congress. In Congress, she would make
her greatest contribution to women’s equality—Title IX.
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How Title IX Began
The year was 1971. Congresswoman Patsy Mink had
an opportunity to improve the situation of American
girls. One of her fellow lawmakers was Edith Green of
Oregon. Representative Green was drafting an unusual
law. If it passed, the law would ban discrimination
against girls in schools. Edith Green asked Mink to
write the law with her. Mink was eager to do so.
Why Was Title IX Needed?
Before Title IX, girls often faced discrimination in
education. For example, they were not encouraged
to take math and science classes. They took home
economics instead. In that class, they learned to sew
and cook. They also were not allowed to take shop
classes. In shop classes, boys learned woodworking
and repair skills.
This discrimination included school sports. Few
schools had sports programs for girls. Girls could be
cheerleaders. But they could not be basketball or
baseball players. Female athletes rarely got college
scholarships.
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The Language of Title IX
“No person in the United States shall, on the basis
of sex, be excluded from participation in, be
denied the benefits of, or be subjected to
discrimination under any educational program or
activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Title IX was simple but powerful. Title IX focused on
school activities that received government money. All such
programs had to offer the same opportunities to girls and
boys. The law’s message was simple. Schools could no
longer treat female and male students differently.
Representatives Mink and Green didn’t include the
word sports in the law. When they were writing the law,
they weren’t thinking about sports. They thought Title IX
would focus on education.
But later, the U.S. government decided that Title IX had
to do with school sports as well. This decision changed the
lives of American girls and women dramatically.
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The Hard Road to Passage
of Title IX
Title IX was a controversial law. It wasn’t easy to
pass the bill. Mink faced the challenge of getting the bill
through Congress. She knew the routines of Congress.
She had also mastered the skills necessary to succeed.
She was considered a smart and determined lawmaker
who followed her conscience.
In the fall of 1971, Title IX was ready for debate. The
proposed law created strong feelings in Congress. Some
members supported it. Others thought that the bill was
dangerous. One congressman said that Title IX would
ruin American education. He felt that the government
should not “force” colleges to accept women.
Patsy Mink shared
her ideas publicly.
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How a Bill Becomes Law
UNITED STATES CONGRESS
House of Representatives
Senate
A bill (proposal
pro
for a new law)
is introduced
od
in the House.
A bill (proposal for a new
ne law)
is introduced in the Senate.
en
Bill goes
oe to House committee
for debate.
eb
Bill goes to Senate committee
mm
for debate.
If the co
committee votes in
favor of the bill, it goes
before th
the entire House.
If the committee votess in
favor of the bill, it goes
es
before the entire Senate.
nat
The House
se debates and
votes on the
he bill.
The Senate debates
es and
votes on the bill.
If House and Senate bills differ,
r, a committee of House and
Senate members meets to reach
c a compromise.
If both House and Senate
en
approve the
compromise bill, it goes
o to the President.
The President signs or vetoes the
bill. If signed, the bill becomes law.
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The Battle Is Won… Or Is It?
Patsy Mink and others worked
hard to pass Title IX. Congress
passed a final version of the bill in
June 1972. President Richard
Nixon signed Title IX into law on
June 23rd. Mink and her friends in
Congress celebrated their victory.
The battle for Title IX had been
won—or so it seemed.
Now the government had to figure
out how Title IX would change schools. One big question
was related to sports. Were sports in school even covered by
Title IX? Or did the law apply only to educational opportunities? Finally, the government decided that Title IX did
apply to sports as a school activity.
Many people in the world of sports and in schools were
angry. They feared that the law would ruin professional
sports. They thought the law would take money away from
boys’ sports programs. People who were against Title IX
fought hard to change the law. These people wanted the law
to be weaker. Others wanted to repeal the law completely.
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Mink Fights to Protect Title IX
In July 1975, Mink was a leader again. This time she
worked to protect Title IX. One congressman wanted to
rewrite the law. He wanted the law to state that gym
classes could not mix boys and girls. Mink and other
supporters argued that such rules would weaken Title IX.
Then some difficult events took place during a
debate in the House of Representatives. It was a moment
Mink would never forget. Mink was forced to leave the
debate before the members voted. She had received
news that her daughter,
Wendy, was hurt in a
car accident. When the
House vote was taken,
the change in Title IX
passed—by one vote.
The one vote needed to
stop the change was
Patsy Mink’s vote.
Patsy Mink’s husband, John, and
daughter, Wendy, supported her
political career.
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Supporters Take Up the Fight
The battle for Title IX still wasn’t over. The Senate also
had to approve the change passed by the House. But for
Patsy Mink, her daughter came first. She left Washington,
D.C., to help Wendy recover from the accident.
Mink was not in Washington to help persuade senators.
So Mink’s supporters took up the fight. They went into
battle reciting the slogan, “Give Women a Sporting
Chance!” Thanks to their efforts, the Senate rejected the
House’s change. Instead, the Senate voted in favor of the
original version of Title IX.
But now the House had to vote on Title IX again. Their
version of the law had to agree with the Senate’s version.
Once more, Mink’s supporters took action. They reminded
House members that Mink was against the change. The
House members listened. They now voted against the
proposed change. Title IX was safe. Soon after, the law
went into effect across the nation.
Patsy Mink celebrated the 30th anniversary of Title IX
during halftime at the National Women’s Basketball
Association All-Star game on July 15, 2002.
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The Battle Continues
But Mink was not able to relax and enjoy the victories.
She remained in the House for another 14 years. During
that time, Mink continued to protect Title IX. The new law
was often under attack. Various groups of people tried to
change the law or get rid of it completely. By 2007, Title IX
had gone back to Congress more than 24 times. This was
many more times than most laws.
The 30th anniversary of Title IX was in 2002. Mink
marked the occasion with a speech. She made the speech
to the House of Representatives. She said, “Title IX is
a story of celebration; it is also a story of struggle… For
30 years, we have constantly needed to be on guard to
defend it.”
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Patsy Mink’s Legacy Lives On
Title IX is a revolutionary law. It has improved the
lives of millions of girls and women. Without Patsy
Takemoto Mink, the law might never have passed.
Today, more girls and women take part in school
sports. In U.S. high schools, the number of girls playing
sports increased by 800 percent between 1971 and 2002.
In colleges, the number of women in sports increased by
400 percent.
School sports bring many benefits. Sports improve
health and fitness. They also teach students to work in
unison and practice teamwork. Playing sports builds selfconfidence. This is an important element of success.
Self-confidence helped Mink reach her goals. It is something she wanted all girls and women to have.
Mink’s work helped women in other ways, too. It
helped women develop abilities to participate in the
Olympics. It also helped women develop abilities to
enter professional sports competitions. Title IX made
early athletic training possible. With this help, many
girls and women became stronger, more skilled athletes.
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Mink knew that there
would be more attempts to
weaken Title IX. In 2002, the
year she died, Mink said, “I
still see so much that needs to
be done.” And she was right.
In 2007, only 41 percent of
athletes in high school were
girls. In some places, girls’
teams still did not get equal
treatment. For example, boys
often played on better fields
than girls did.
Mink knew that people
must not take equal opportunity for granted. She said,
“[W]e all need to be reminded
Patsy Mink worked
tirelessly for equal
opportunities for all.
that since Title IX was put in
place by a legislative body, it can be taken away by a
legislative body.”
In 2002, Congress honored Mink’s work on Title IX.
Congress renamed the law. Now it is called the Patsy
Takemoto Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act.
Patsy Mink would have been proud of this honor.
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Patsy Takemoto Mink
1927
Born on the island of Maui, Hawaii
1943 Elected first female student body president
of her high school
1948 Graduated from the University of Hawaii
1951
Earned law degree at University of Chicago;
married John Mink
1953
Became first Japanese American female
lawyer in Hawaii’s history
1956 Became first Japanese American woman in
Hawaii’s House of Representatives
1958, 1962 Elected to Hawaii’s Senate
1964 First woman of color elected to U.S. Congress;
served six consecutive terms
1971
Began work on Title IX
1972 President Richard Nixon signed Title IX
into law
1977
Retired from U.S. Congress
1990
Returned to U.S. House of Representatives;
continued to protect Title IX
2002 Died while in office
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Responding
Sequence of Events What
sequence of events led to Title IX becoming law?
Copy and complete the chart below. Add boxes
as necessary.
TARGET SKILL
Event: Patsy Mink is elected to the U.S.
House of Representatives in 1964.
Event:
?
Event:
?
Write About It
Text to World Imagine that you are a student in the
mid-1970s, after Title IX became law. Write a short
story telling about some of the changes that occurred
at your school because of Title IX.
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TARGET VOCABULARY
competition
qualifying
element
recite
identical
routine
intimidated
uniform
mastered
unison
TARGET SKILL Sequence of Events Identify the
time order in which events take place.
TARGET STRATEGY Monitor/Clarify As you read,
notice what isn’t making sense. Find ways to figure out
the parts that are confusing.
GENRE Narrative Nonfiction gives factual information
by telling a true story.
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Level: W
DRA: 60
Genre:
Narrative Nonfiction
Strategy:
Monitor/Clarify
Skill:
Sequence of Events
Word Count: 2,170
Patsy Mink
and Title IX
5.1.4
HOUGHTON MIFFLIN
Online Leveled Books
ISBN-13:978-0-547-02226-0
ISBN-10:0-547-02226-3
by D. Jeanne Glaser
1032129
H O UG H T O N M IF F L IN
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