By Audrey Fong
March is Women’s History Month – a time to celebrate the achievements and contributions of women to the U.S. In recognition of the month, I sat down with Judy Tzu-Chun Wu, professor of Asian American studies and history at UC Irvine, to discuss Patsy Mink, the subject of her latest book, Fierce and Fearless. The book is the first comprehensive biography of Mink, best known as the legislative champion of Title IX and as both the first woman from Hawaii elected to Congress and the first woman of color elected to the House of Representatives.
Below, we discuss Patsy Mink, her contributions to the U.S., and what the research process was like for Wu’s book.
Audrey Fong: What drew you to the story and the life of Patsy Mink?
Judy Tzu-Chun Wu: When I began looking for my next book project, I discovered a story on the Library of Congress website on Patsy Mink, the first woman of color in Congress. I had always known of Mink, but I realized that I didn’t know much about her life and career. I was pleasantly surprised to learn she had not yet been studied in a substantive way. I realize now that the Library of Congress, which houses Mink’s extensive archives, was most likely featuring her for the 40th anniversary of Title IX. This landmark legislation, which mandates gender equity in schools that receive federal funding, has transformed educational institutions and was renamed after Patsy Mink when she passed away in 2002. It’s an honor to be able to publish a book about her life for the 50th anniversary of Title IX.
AF: Fierce and Fearless is a collaboration between you and Patsy Mink’s daughter, Gwendolyn Mink. What was it like working with Gwendolyn and how did you two conduct your research collaboration?
JW: Everyone I spoke to about the Mink biography project encouraged me to contact her daughter, Gwendolyn, who goes by Wendy. I began by interviewing Wendy, since oral histories are an essential part of my research. I would conduct archival research at the Library of Congress and then walk to her apartment a couple of times a week, have dinner together, share what I found in the archives, and ask her questions. It was such a privilege to have built this type of relationship with Wendy. She grew up in a tight-knit family whose members were all deeply interested in politics. Wendy went on to become a professor of politics.
Our relationship shifted to collaboration, though, when I learned that Patsy wanted Wendy to write her biography. I felt it was very important for Wendy and I to work on the project together. Wendy wrote beautiful vignettes, sharing memories about her family, particularly her mother. And, she gave me feedback as I wrote historical chapters about Patsy.
AF: In the intro to the book, you ask, “Why is she not widely recognized among the feminist pantheon in US history?” Could you share with readers why that is and why we should learn about Mink?
JW: Patsy Mink is in many ways an anomaly. She is the first woman of color in Congress. Very importantly, she was Asian American and from Hawai‘i. The U.S. still tends to privilege black-white understandings of race and certainly focuses more on the continental U.S. as opposed to the non-contiguous states and territories of the nation. Patsy was a female politician at a time when most leaders were white and male. Mink also challenged the more standard representations of feminist icons, who tend to be white figures and to a lesser extent include African American women.
In addition, Mink was engaged in formal politics during an era when the term “Asian American” was being invented and the Asian American movement tended to be characterized as revolutionary or radical. While Mink had radical political ideas, she worked within the existing political system. So, she was an outlier due to her race, gender, region of origin, and choice of political venue.
AF: Born in 1927, Mink lived through WWII – a period in history when the U.S. viewed Japanese Americans as possible Japanese spies and incarcerated most Japanese Americans on the West Coast. Considering the history of the Japanese in America, how did Mink contribute to and change the way Japanese Americans are viewed?
JW: The incarceration of Japanese Americans and the placement of the Hawaiian islands under martial law deeply impacted Patsy Mink. Her own father was taken away, and she was uncertain as to when she might see him again. Mink herself was repeatedly regarded as an “international” student, even though she was a third generation Japanese American.
She challenged these assumptions of foreignness through her demands for full political inclusion. She also challenged the assumptions of male superiority by demanding to be a political leader, not just someone who supported others from behind the scenes.
AF: How do you think her experience of being Japanese American during WWII and of living in Hawaii shaped her politics?
JW: Hawai‘i is a complex place, a meeting ground between U.S. military and imperial interests, the Native Hawaiian kingdom, and migrant workers from around the world. The displacement of Native Hawaiians, the occupation of the U.S. and the importation of laborers are all connected to the formation of a plantation society, in which land and labor are utilized for creating cash export crops. Growing up in this highly stratified class, racial, and gender society, Patsy Mink aspired to achieve the egalitarian and democratic society that the U.S. espoused to be.
AF: For readers unfamiliar with Mink and her work, could you share how Mink’s legacy has shaped the U.S. today? Where can readers see her impact in their daily lives?
JW: Certainly, Title IX has had a transformative impact on educational institutions, not just for expanding opportunities for women in sports but also mandating gender equity broadly in all aspects of schools, including admissions, scholarships, housing, employment, campus climate, and so on. Like all laws, Title IX needs to be implemented rigorously to achieve gender equity, but the law at least provides a mandate for these goals.
Beyond legislative achievements, I believe Mink’s primary legacy stems from her spirit of persistent advocacy. Even with Title IX, she recognized that these legal rights can be diluted or even eliminated. So, she modeled what it means to be a social and political advocate by encouraging everyone to take their responsibilities seriously in a democracy.
AF: Lastly, what do you hope readers take away from your book?
JW: I hope readers will be inspired to take action, to articulate and advocate for what they believe will create a more egalitarian society.
Fierce and Fearless is available from Alexander Book Co, Barnes & Noble, Bookshop, Green Bean Books, Powell’s City of Books, and Vroman’s Bookstore.
Audrey Fong is your stereotypical Southern Californian. She loves the beach, drinks more boba than the doctor recommends, and has an Insta-famous dog that she is hoping to get into modeling. She is the co-founder and co-editor of Soapberry Review.