Patsy Takemoto Mink’s legacy is never far from my mind — literally.

We live down the street from the sprawling recreational site in Waipio that bears her name, Patsy T. Mink Central Oahu Regional Park. I pass by several times a week and always take a moment to admire the sign at the park’s entrance, which was unveiled in 2007, five years after Mink’s death at age 74.

When the park was renamed in honor of Mink, Honolulu Mayor Mufi Hannemann cited her commitment to families and the park’s potential to produce star scholar-athletes with isle roots. But the recognition goes far beyond that: Citing Mink also means celebrating her central role in reshaping gender equity across the United States and providing opportunities for females to pursue their passions on the same footing as males.

As we all know, that hasn’t always been the case in this country (and we could argue that it still isn’t). What compelled Mink to help draft and then push through Congress Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 were her own experiences, from childhood through higher education.

The third-generation Japanese American girl born on Maui in the Territory of Hawaii in 1927 saw both racial and gender inequality — from her grandparents’ forced status as foreigners to her decision to pursue law studies because medical schools refused to accept a woman — and was determined to carve a different path for future generations during her time in the U.S. Congress as a member of the House.

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Mink backed legislation that provided support for child care, educators, low-income families and the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. She was determined to pursue her priorities despite pushback from within her own Democratic Party, and when she observed gender discrimination continuing despite the passage of Title IX, she cosponsored a new measure, the Gender Equity Act of 1993, that again sought to ensure equality for girls and women.

Today, though, we mark the 50th anniversary of the passage of Title IX and the impact it has had on education and, most prominently, school athletics.

The measure’s stated goal is to guarantee equal opportunity for all individuals regardless of sex to participate in educational programs or activities at institutions that receive federal funds. Though Mink’s focus was not specifically on sports, that is the most obvious gauge of the legislation’s influence.

Without Title IX, my beloved Lady Vols of the University of Tennessee, led by legendary coach Pat Summitt, would never have become the powerhouse women’s basketball team they are today. The same, of course, can be said for other collegiate women’s programs: Without a mandate to level the playing field so female athletes had the same opportunities and quality of treatment as their male counterparts (not to mention proportionate scholarship funding), institutions would have been content to ignore women’s squads outright.

Can you imagine the U.S. without its world-class national women’s soccer team or basketball team? You can thank Title IX for their presence and dominance.

Without Title IX, the U.S. would also lack Olympic representation across a wide range of sports, from swimming to volleyball to track and field.

The legislation hasn’t come without criticism, of course. Commentaries have been published and even lawsuits filed over (baseless) allegations that leveling the playing field robs resources from men’s programs.

It doesn’t. Institutions are in fact required to rise to meet the requirement of equal opportunity, not lower their standards to ensure the minimum level of equality. How individual institutions choose to interpret the law is what draws backlash.

Another key concept of Title IX that gets hit with unwarranted criticism is the requirement that women and men have proportionate access to participation and quality. This doesn’t mean teams for both genders have to be exactly the same; it also doesn’t mean spending has to be a perfect match.

In other words, schools still have only one football team and one softball team. And it is clearly more expensive to equip a football player than a volleyball player — but schools are not allowed to skimp on quality for either.

As Title IX enters its second half-century, though, the country is facing new questions and challenges on the equality in athletics front. Battles have taken place in numerous states over the status of transgender scholar-athletes and their ability to participate in sports. Some advocates say Title IX is due for an overhaul to recognize transgender people; others hold firm to the law’s original wording.

Still, there is so much to celebrate since Title IX’s passage in 1972. Once the doors to opportunity opened, girls and women started pouring through — and haven’t stopped since.

PATSY TAKEMOTO MINK

Coauthor of Title IX; advocate for racial and gender equality

>> Born: Dec. 6, 1927, in Paia, Maui

>> Died: Sept. 28, 2002, in Honolulu

Education:

>> Maui High School

>> Wilson College (Chambersburg, Pa.)

>>University of Nebraska at Lincoln

>> University of Hawaii

>> University of Chicago Law School

Career highlights:

>> Served in Hawaii’s territorial House of Representatives and Senate before statehood in 1959

>> Was elected to Hawaii’s state Senate in 1962

>> Served in the U.S. House of Representatives from 1965-1977, then from 1990-2002

>> Honolulu City Council member from 1983-1987 (served as chair from 1983-1985)

Legislative highlights:

>> Coauthor of Title IX of the Educational Amendments of 1972

>> Advocated for the Women’s Educational Equity Act in 1974

>> Cosponsored the Gender Equality Act passed in 1993

>> Helped form the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in 1994 and later became its chairwoman

Accolades:

>> After her death, Title IX was renamed the Patsy T. Mink Equal Opportunity in Education Act

>> In 2014, was posthumously honored by President Barack Obama with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian honor