Grade: K-6Subject:
English Language Arts, Social StudiesNumber of Activities: 4
Patsy Mink’s life story exemplifies
advocacy for change and equality. She confronted discrimination when she
wanted to become a doctor and lawyer. Then she joined the Democratic
Party to fight for equality. Despite her initial setback in gaining the
support of the decision makers in the party in being elected to the
House of Representatives, she succeeded in her subsequent attempt. As an
elected member of Congress, her actions and deeds led to progressive
changes in legislation creating openness, fairness and equality.
Students will be able to:
- Make personal connections to the meaning of equality
- Create a profile of a role model who advocates for equality
-
Describe obstacles minorities may confront in education and employment
-
Recognize how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 led to the Immigration and
Nationality Act of 1965.
Women Advancing Equality: Patsy Mink Essay
Throughout her life, Patsy Takemoto Mink faced obstacles because she was
Asian and female. Patsy Matsu Takemoto was born in Paia, Hawai‘i
Territory in 1927 to two Japanese American parents. Mink was an
ambitious student, winning junior class president and graduating as
valedictorian. When she tried to become a doctor, Mink was rejected by
medical schools. She decided to attend the University of Chicago Law
School, where she met her husband, John Francis Mink. Upon her
graduation in 1951, she had difficulty finding a job at a law firm and
started a private practice in Hawai‘i. Eventually, she joined the
Democratic Party in order to fight for
equality and change.
Mink wanted to run for the House of Representatives to represent
Hawai‘i, which had recently become a state in 1959. However, she did not
get the support of the decision-makers of the Democratic Party. Despite
this lack of support, Mink decided to run against Daniel Inouye and, in
the end, did not win the election. While the loss was emotionally
difficult for Mink, she did not give up her pursuit of a political
career. Mink gave a stand-out speech during the 1960 Democratic National
Convention, advocating for a firm
civil rights agenda. In 1964, Mink ran
again, still without the support of the Democratic party, and supported
by small, individual donations. Mink was elected to Congress. At the
time, Mink was one of only 11 women to serve in the House of
Representatives; moreover, she became the first woman of color to serve
as a Congresswoman.
Throughout her decades-long political career, Mink fought for education
and women’s rights, among other issues. She believed that men and women
should be treated equally in education and society. While in Congress,
she had two major victories on women’s rights: Title IX and The Women’s
Educational Equity Act. Mink co-authored Title IX, a federal
civil
rights law passed as part of the Education
Amendments of 1972. This law
protects people from discrimination based on sex in education programs
or activities that receive Federal financial assistance. This law
removed barriers for girls and women getting into college and sports.
Mink helped passed the Women’s Educational Equity Act in 1974, which
gave money for programs that supported gender equality, professional
opportunities for women, and making sure women appear fairly in school
textbooks. In addition to working on Title IX, Mink also worked
tirelessly on
civil rights issues, ranging from housing to
immigration
to health care. Over her lifetime, Mink served a total of 15 terms as a
member of the House of Representatives.
Works Cited
-
Amendment: an addition or alteration made to a constitution,
statute, or legislative bill or resolution1
-
Civil Rights: guarantees of equal social opportunities and
equal protection under the law, regardless of race, religion, or other
personal characteristics2
-
Equality: a situation in which people of different genders,
races, religions, etc. are all treated fairly and have the same
opportunities3
-
Fairness: quality or act of treating people equally or in a way
that is right or reasonable4
-
Grit: courage and determination despite difficulty5
-
Immigration: travel into a country for the purpose of permanent
residence there6
-
Incarceration: the act of imprisoning someone or the state of
being imprisoned7
-
Policy: set of ideas or plans that is used as a basis for
making decisions, especially in politics, economics, or business8
-
Role model: a person whose behavior in a particular role is
imitated by others9
-
Patsy Mink said that women have a tremendous responsibility to shape
the future of America. What does she mean?
-
Patsy Mink was the first woman of color elected to Congress. She even
ran for President. She was a trailblazer in politics. How has her
political advocacy influenced minorities in elected offices today?
Activity 1: Patsy Mink.
Grade: Kindergarten
-
Show this video to students or read the excerpt below to the students.
-
Video: Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority,
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QsHncYl7Xcg
-
Excerpt from this lesson’s Women Advancing Equality Essay to the
students:
“Throughout Patsy Takemoto Mink’s life she had difficult times
because she was an Asian American and a woman. She was born in
Hawai‘i in 1927. Her parents were two Japanese Americans. Mink was
often the number one student in her class. She wanted to be a
doctor, but no medical schools would take her. Then she decided to
go to law school. After she graduated in 1951, no law firm would
hire her because she was Asian American and a woman. Eventually, she
joined the Democratic Party in order to fight for equality and
change.
In 1964 Mink was elected to Congress. At the time, Mink was one of
only 11 women to serve in the House of Representatives. She was the
first woman of color to serve as a Congresswoman.
Mink worked a total of 24 years in Congress. She fought for education and women’s rights. She believed that women and men should be treated equally in education and society. When she was in Congress, she had two major
victories on women’s rights. Mink co-wrote the law called Title IX
in 1972. This law says girls and women can get into college and
sports like boys and men. Mink helped passed another law in 1974.
This law gives money for programs that treat women the same as men
for example in school textbooks. She also worked very hard on civil
rights, fair housing, fair immigration, and fair health care.”
-
Discuss the story:
- Where did Patsy Mink grow up?
- What did she like to do as a child?
-
. When she grew up, what did she want to do but could not because
she was a woman?
- Do you think that it is fair?
-
Do you think that boys and girls should be able to do the same
kind of jobs? Why or why not?
-
Draw a picture of some jobs both girls and boys can do well.
-
Talk about your picture with another classmate. Students may
choose to share and talk about their picture with the class.
-
Discuss the video:
- What does the video say?
- What did Patsy Mink do? What did Patsy Mink say?
-
Do you think it is good for girls and boys to have the same
education and sports if they want?
- Patsy Mink said yes. Do you think that is good?
-
Draw a picture of some jobs both girls and boys can do well.
-
Talk about your picture with another classmate. Students may
choose to share and talk about their picture with the class.
Activity 2: What is Equality?
Grades 1-3
- Show this lesson’s video to students.
- Read this lesson’s essay to students.
-
Discussion Questions
- What does fairness mean?
- What does equality mean?
- Why is fairness and equality important in society?
- How do people show equality in our school and communities?
-
Activity
-
Create an acrostic poem using the word fairness or equality to
show what it means to you. An example of an acrostic poem using
the word grit:
Giving your best effort
Resilience
Introspective
Totally awesome!
-
Students will take turns sharing their acrostic poems with the
class.
Activity 3: Role Models
Grades 3-5
- Show this lesson’s video to students.
- Read this lesson’s essay to students.
-
Discussion Questions
-
When the Democratic Party advised that Patsy Mink should not run
for the House of Representatives, but she insisted on running, do
you agree with her action?
- What are civil rights?
-
At the Democratic Party convention, she strongly advocated for the
civil rights platform as it is written. What personal experiences
prompted her commitment to civil rights?
- What is grit?
-
How has grit helped Patsy Mink to pursuing her goals in life?
-
Activity
-
Distribute the
Bubble-Map-ws handout
-
Ask students to write this in the middle box: My role model is.
-
Think of someone in your life who advocates for equality in a
group and can be a role model for others. Maybe it is your
teacher, school counselor, playground supervisor or a relative.
-
Create a profile of your role model.
Fill out the bubbles in
the Map by answering the following questions:
-
How has this person created an environment of fairness and
openness for everyone in the group?
- How does this person promote inclusiveness?
- What character trait does he/she display?
-
How does this person intervene or make changes when someone in
the group is not being treated fairly?
- Students share their profiles with the class.
Activity 4: Civil Rights Movement,
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and the Title IX of the
Education Amendment
Grades 5-6
- Show this lesson’s video to students.
- Read this lesson’s essay to students.
-
Background Information for this Activity:
In 1959 Patsy Takemoto Mink ran for House of Representatives to
represent Hawai‘i. She did not get the support from the Democratic
Party. She lost. She did not give up. She ran again. In 1964 she got
elected. In Congress, she co-authored Title IX, a law to ensure that
no one will be discriminated against in education and federally
funded activities based on gender. She believed that men and women
should be treated equally in education and society. This law removed
barriers for girls and women getting into college and into sports.
She also fought racial barriers by supporting civil rights. Asian
Americans had been victims of discrimination in U.S. history. The
Exclusion Act of 1882 banned Chinese from entering the U.S. and was
later expanded to include other Asians. During World War II, almost
the entire population of Japanese Americans in the continental
United States (over 120,000 people) were incarcerated in camps
without any trial. Facing propaganda by Japan that the U.S. society
is racist, the U.S. repealed the Chinese Exclusion Act in 1943; but
immigration quotas for Asians were kept very low. Dr. Martin Luther
King Jr. and African Americans led the Civil Rights Movement to
demand desegregation and a more just society. The passage of the
Civil Rights Act of 1964 led to examination and revision of
discriminatory laws and policies. It helped bring an end to the
immigration law allowing only a small number of immigrants from Asia
and Africa to enter the U.S. In 1965. A new immigration law, The
Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965, based on a system of
preference and family reunification was enacted, helping many Asians
and Africans to reunite with their families in America. Ten years
after the law was passed, Asian American population doubled, and
eventually become the fastest growing population.
-
For Supplemental Information, please see
Black-Am-Help-Asian-Immig-Key.pdf.
-
Discussion Questions
- What is the Title IX Amendment?
-
What motivated Patsy Mink to co-author the Title IX Amendment?
- How does Title IX benefit all Americans?
-
What is Patsy Mink’s stand on the civil rights? How was she
instrumental in pushing for civil rights?
- What is the Civil Rights Act of 1964?
- What is the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965?
-
How did the Civil Rights Act lead to changes in immigration law
which benefits Asian Americans?
-
Activity
-
Distribute the
Women-Cause-and-Effect-Diagram
handout for student to fill out.
-
Use the examples in
Women-Cause and Effect Examples
for students to analyze causes and effects.
-
What are the causes of Patsy Takemoto Mink co-authoring The
Women’s Educational Equity Act, Title IX? And what are the
effects of Title IX?
-
What are the causes of changing the immigration laws and
policies in 1965? And what are the effects of these changes to
Asian American population?
-
Ask students to share their analysis on the board or in class
discussions.
Cham, Stephanie. “Patsy Mink (Great Asian Americans),” 1 Jan 2018.
Capstone Publishing.
California Common Core Standards Addressed
Social Studies C3 Framework:
D2.His.3.K-2.
Generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped a
significant historical change.
D2.His.3.3-5.
Generate questions about individuals and groups who have shaped
significant historical changes and continuities.
D2.His.14.K-2.
Generate possible reasons for an event or development in the past.
D2.His.14.3-5.
Explain probable causes and effects of events and developments.
Common Core:
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.1
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.1.2
Identify the main topic and retell key details of a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.1.8
With guidance and support from adults, recall information from
experiences or gather information from provided sources to answer a
question.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.2
Ask and answer questions about key details in a text read aloud or
information presented orally or through other media.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.3
Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to gather
additional information or clarify something that is not understood.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.4
Describe people, places, things, and events with relevant details,
expressing ideas and feelings clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.1.5
Add drawings or other visual displays to descriptions when appropriate
to clarify ideas, thoughts, and feelings.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.1
Ask and answer such questions as who, what, where, when, why, and how to
demonstrate understanding of key details in a text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.2.2
Identify the main topic of a multiparagraph text as well as the focus of
specific paragraphs within the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.2.8
Recall information from experiences or gather information from provided
sources to answer a question.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.2
Recount or describe key ideas or details from a text read aloud or
information presented orally or through other media.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.3
Ask and answer questions about what a speaker says in order to clarify
comprehension, gather additional information, or deepen understanding of
a topic or issue.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.2.4
Tell a story or recount an experience with appropriate facts and
relevant, descriptive details, speaking audibly in coherent sentences.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.1
Ask and answer questions to demonstrate understanding of a text,
referring explicitly to the text as the basis for the answers.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.3.2
Determine the main idea of a text; recount the key details and explain
how they support the main idea.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.3.8
Recall information from experiences or gather information from print and
digital sources; take brief notes on sources and sort evidence into
provided categories.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.2
Determine the main ideas and supporting details of a text read aloud or
information presented in diverse media and formats, including visually,
quantitatively, and orally.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.3
Ask and answer questions about information from a speaker, offering
appropriate elaboration and detail.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.3.4
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience with
appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details, speaking clearly at
an understandable pace.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.1
Refer to details and examples in a text when explaining what the text
says explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.4.2
Determine the main idea of a text and explain how it is supported by key
details; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.4.8
Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant
information from print and digital sources; take notes and categorize
information, and provide a list of sources.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.2
Paraphrase portions of a text read aloud or information presented in
diverse media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and
orally.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.3
Identify the reasons and evidence a speaker provides to support
particular points.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.4
Report on a topic or text, tell a story, or recount an experience in an
organized manner, using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive
details to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an
understandable pace.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.4.5
Add audio recordings and visual displays to presentations when
appropriate to enhance the development of main ideas or themes.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.1
Quote accurately from a text when explaining what the text says
explicitly and when drawing inferences from the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.RI.5.2
Determine two or more main ideas of a text and explain how they are
supported by key details; summarize the text.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.W.5.8
Recall relevant information from experiences or gather relevant
information from print and digital sources; summarize or paraphrase
information in notes and finished work, and provide a list of sources.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.1
Engage effectively in a range of collaborative discussions (one-on-one,
in groups, and teacher-led) with diverse partners on grade 5 topics and
texts, building on others' ideas and expressing their own clearly.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.2
Summarize a written text read aloud or information presented in diverse
media and formats, including visually, quantitatively, and orally.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.3
Summarize the points a speaker makes and explain how each claim is
supported by reasons and evidence.
CCSS.ELA-LITERACY.SL.5.4
Report on a topic or text or present an opinion, sequencing ideas
logically and using appropriate facts and relevant, descriptive details
to support main ideas or themes; speak clearly at an understandable
pace.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.1.
Cite textual evidence to support analysis of what the text says
explicitly as well as inferences drawn from the text.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.RI.6.7.
Integrate information presented in different media or formats (e.g.,
visually, quantitatively) as well as in words to develop a coherent
understanding of a topic or issue.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.1.c.
Pose and respond to specific questions with elaboration and detail by
making comments that contribute to the topic, text, or issue under
discussion.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.6.2.
Interpret information presented in diverse media and formats (e.g.,
visually, quantitatively, orally) and explain how it contributes to a
topic, text, or issue under study.