Senator Mazie Hirono

Mazie Hirono, the first woman senator from Hawaii and first Asian American woman in the U.S. Senate, took office this year after having served three terms in the Congressional seat once held by Patsy Mink, the first Asian American woman in Congress. Hirono, who immigrated with her mother and brother at age seven from Fukushima, Japan, could neither speak nor read English when she started elementary school. She now serves on the Committees on Armed Services, Judiciary, Veterans’ Affairs, and Environment and Public Works. A stalwart advocate for reproductive rights, she has also advocated for the Military Justice Improvement Act and for meaningful immigration reform.