Community Corner
Somerset Hills AAUW Branch Supper and Movie Night - Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority
Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority - the remarkable political story of an Asian American woman from Hawaii who redefined American politics.
AAUW Branch Supper and Movie Night
“Everyone told her no, so she rewrote the rules” is the teaser for the award winning, 2009, PBS documentary, Patsy Mink: Ahead of the Majority, produced by Making Waves Films. Patsy Takemoto Mink was a crusader for social change throughout the second half of the last century. She began life on a Maui sugar plantation and rose to become the first woman of color in the United States Congress – Representative from Hawaii 1965 -1977 and again from 1990 until her death in 2002 (she was actually re-elected posthumously in 2002).
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The film’s promotional materials describe her:
“A firecracker and a fighter, she continually pushed the limits of what was acceptable, speaking out against the Vietnam War and entering the 1972 presidential primary, making her one of the first women to seek the nation’s highest office. She transformed America’s schools as the co-author of Title IX.”
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Today, Title IX is commonly known as the law that requires equal spending for women’s collegiate sports, but in reality Title IX of the Education Acts of 1972, later renamed The Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act, states that, “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 education program or activity receiving Federal financial assistance.”
Before starting the program we’ll warm up with a chili & salad supper organized by Hospitality Chair Mary Lynne and cooked up by some of our member-chefs. Mary Lynne and the board really appreciate when non-board members step up to help out with providing the meals at our meetings – a lot of work goes into hosting 35+ people in the gracious tradition to which our branch has become accustomed.
Somerset Hills AAUW is a branch of the national AAUW organization that advances equity for women and girls through advocacy, education, philanthropy and research. For more information about AAUW or the program please contact Teri Passarello at teripass@me.com or 908-313-8421.
