The Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act is celebrating its 40th birthday today.

Originally called Title IX but renamed in honor of its author, the Act forever changed the face of education in Hawaii and across the country. Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 is evident in every classroom, computer or science lab, and on the athletic field. This pivotal 37-word law continues to increase equal access, opportunities, benefits and treatment for all individuals.

Many years after Title IX’s enactment, its significance and thinking were not fully embraced nor effectively instituted by government. For that reason, the Hawaii Legislature introduced and passed a bill to create a commission to assess, implement and set forth enforcement mechanisms regarding Title IX and athletics in public schools. While former Gov. Benjamin Cayetano vetoed the 1999 legislation, he signed into law a similar bill the following year that established a Gender Equity Commission within Hawaii’s Department of Education. In three years, the commission created a reporting and monitoring process to ensure compliance with Title IX in every public high school.

The success of the commission spurred then-Superintendent Patricia Hamamoto to form the Superintendent of Education’s Committee on Gender Equity to address Title IX’s implementation and enforcement within the DOE.

For more than a decade, this committee has tracked Hawaii high school athletic programs’ participation rates and self-assessments. The reported trends and outcomes have been overwhelmingly positive.

In its recent report to Superintendent Kathryn Matayoshi, the committee examined high school sports participation by male and female athletes from school year 2000-01 to 2010-11. Although male enrollment in public schools dropped from 26,889 to 25,640 during that period, their participation in athletics rose from 12,113 to 13,752, an increase of 13.5 percent. Female enrollment also declined, from 24,707 to 23,750; however, participation in sports rose significantly by 33.4 percent, from 7,950 to 10,603. This positive trend in female sports involvement parallels the addition of paddling, junior varsity (JV) softball, JV tennis, and water polo teams to high school athletic programs.

Likewise, a growth in the number of sports facilities has attracted athletes. Historically, high school athletic facilities included baseball fields but not girls’ softball fields. Since 2001, approximately 20 new softball fields have been constructed for practice and competitions statewide at DOE schools with adequate land and space.

Moving forward, the committee will continue to ensure Title IX compliance in Hawaii’s public schools by meeting to review, assess and recommend productive and progressive changes to high school programs. Its goal is to eliminate the equity variance in female and male sports participation rates, and actively support compliance with all other Title IX components.

From her humble roots in Paia, Maui, the late Congresswoman Patsy T. Mink engendered new life in our nation and state educational systems, socio-economic fabric and everyday lives. While most people do not equate Title IX and her efforts with their life successes, Mink’s monumental impact in U.S. history as a tireless supporter, aggressive fighter and biggest voice for the rights of citizens will forever inspire generations.

Mink 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."

Thus, it is only fitting that six new softball fields have been built in Maui County since the commission began.