Labor Heroes: Patsy Takemoto Mink
Washington,
Sep 4, 2009 -
(This is a guest blog post by Rep. Mazie Hirono, HI - 2nd)
Patsy Takemoto Mink is not just my Labor Hero; she is a personal hero of mine. Patsy was an inspiration to me as she was to many working people throughout the country. She came by her commitment to labor honestly. Patsy’s four grandparents emigrated from Japan in the late 1800’s to work as contract laborers in Maui’s sugar plantations. Patsy saw firsthand why workers need protection, and why they need to band together to get it.
It was that firsthand knowledge that made Patsy work so hard—tirelessly and from the heart—to make sure that those who work hard for a day’s pay are treated fairly. She wouldn’t sit still and watch people be mistreated. Congressman George Miller, the Chairman of the Education and Labor Committee, put it best when he said of Patsy, “whether on the environment, or education or labor issues, Patsy was a moral filter for the Congress.”
Another reason Patsy inspires me so greatly is because she wasn’t just passionate (although she certainly was), but she was really smart. She put all of the pieces together to make sure that workers were protected. She fought against hiring and pay discrimination, and she also worked to make sure that when people were out of work they were still protected. She fought for a welfare system that truly helped people receive the training and child care services they need to move back into the workplace.
Patsy was the whole package, and it is my honor to represent the district she used to serve in Congress.
If you would like to read the orginial blog, you can read it here: http://edlabor.house.gov/blog/2009/09/labor-heroes-patsy-takemoto-mi.shtml
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