sign in sign up
<<
Home , Kamala Harris, Patsy Mink, Shirley Chisholm

STUDENT ACTIVITIES

The Power of Representation: Patsy Takemoto Mink, , and GET STARTED

In these activities, you will learn about the groundbreaking careers of Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm, consider the significance of Vice President Kamala Harris’s election, and explore the power of representation. Activity 1: Introduce Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm Activity 2: Discuss the Significance of Kamala Harris’s Election Activity 3: Reflect on the Legacies of Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm Activity 1: Introduce Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm

Kamala Harris is an inspiring “first” in many ways, but the path to her election was paved by many other women and people of color. Two of those women were Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm; both were political trailblazers. In 1965, Mink became the first Asian American woman and the first woman of color to serve in the US Congress when she was elected to represent . Chisholm was the first Black woman in Congress, representing beginning in 1969. Both Mink and Chisholm competed in the 1972 presidential election, and both were later awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the ’ highest civilian honor.

Learn more about about Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley

Chisholm on the next two slides. Activity 1: Introduce Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm

Patsy Takemoto Mink was a Congresswoman from Hawai'i, serving a total of 12 terms. She was born and raised on , became the first Japanese American female attorney in Hawai'i, and served in the Hawai'i territorial and state legislatures beginning in 1956. In 1964, she became the first woman of color elected to Congress. She is best known for co-authoring and championing Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972.1 Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives

President Obama, President Obama Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, The Office of the Press Secretary, November 10, 2014. Activity 1: Introduce Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm made history in 1968 by becoming the first African-American woman elected to Congress, beginning the first of seven terms in the House of Representatives. In 1969 she became one of the founding members of what would become the Congressional Black Caucus. Not satisfied, Chisholm went on to make history yet again, becoming the first major-party African-American female candidate to make a bid for the U.S. presidency when she ran for the Democratic nomination in 1972. Collection of the U.S. House of Representatives She was a champion of minority education and employment opportunities throughout her tenure in Congress.

President Obama, President Obama Names Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom, The White House Office of the Press Secretary, November 16, 2015. Activity 1: Introduce Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm

Watch the following two videos: ● : Ahead of the Majority (2:25) ● Before Obama And There Was Shirley Chisholm (03:48)

As you watch the videos, sketch two identity charts: one for Patsy Takemoto Mink and one for Shirley Chisholm. Include key elements of their personal and social identities and experiences in the charts. You can also add quotes from the videos. Activity 1: Introduce Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm

Discuss: ● What motivated and prepared Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm for civic and political engagement? ● Patsy Mink once said, “We have to build things that we want to see accomplished, in life and in our country, based on our own personal experiences . . . to make sure that others . . . do not have to suffer the same discrimination.”1 How do you think the personal stories of Mink and Chisholm connect to their choices and commitments as political leaders?

1. Quoted in Gender on the Ballot Team, 5 Things to Know about Rep. Patsy Mink, the First Woman of Color in Congress, Gender on the Ballot website, December 6, 2019. Activity 2: Discuss the Significance of Kamala Harris’s Election

Vice President Kamala Harris said in her acceptance speech after being elected:

“[W]hile I may be the first woman in this office, I will not be the last. Because every little girl watching tonight sees that this is a country of possibilities. And to the children of our country, regardless of your gender, our country has sent you a clear message: dream with ambition, lead with conviction, and see yourselves in a way that others may not, simply because they’ve never seen it before.”1

1. “Transcript of Vice President-elect Harris' victory speech” (speech by Kamala Harris November 7, 2020, Wilmington, Delaware), the . Activity 2: Discuss the Significance of Kamala Harris’s Election

Ashton Mayo-Beavers, a freshman at Mercer University in , said after Kamala Harris was elected vice president of the United States:

“There already are so many great local leaders that are women of color, and that’s amazing. But the fact is, we will have a woman vice president who is a that’s going to open the doors for so many people to envision themselves as our nation’s future.”1

1. Ashton Mayo-Beavers in Caroline Bauman and Gabrielle Birkner, ‘This is something I can do now’: What Kamala Harris’ ascension means for girls of color, Chalkbeat, January 19, 2021. Activity 2: Discuss the Significance of Kamala Harris’s Election

Discuss: ● According to these two quotes, why is Kamala Harris’s election significant? ● How do you think patterns from the past can shape how we imagine what is possible in the future? ● How do you think Kamala Harris’s choice to run first for president and then for vice president helped to promote a vision for the future that breaks with the past? What choices did other people make that helped her to get where she is today? Activity 3: Reflect on the Legacies of Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm famously said,

“If they won’t give you a seat at the table, bring in a folding chair.” Activity 3: Reflect on the Legacies of Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm

Reflect in your journal: ● What did Chisholm mean by “a seat at the table”? How does learning the stories of Shirley Chisholm and Patsy Takemoto Mink help you think about why it is important for more people—including women and people of color—to claim a seat at the table? ● Why do you think it took almost 50 years after Mink and Chisholm sought to be nominated as presidential candidates for a woman to become vice president of the United States?

(see next slide for additional question) Activity 3: Reflect on the Legacies of Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm

● Patsy Takemoto Mink and Shirley Chisholm made history, yet their stories are not always represented in history books, school curriculum, and in popular culture. Mink, in particular, has often been overlooked as a forerunner of Harris. Are Mink and Chisholm included in your textbook, if your class uses one? Why might it be important for their stories to be learned and shared?