About Mazie K. Hirono
Early Years: Where you come from, is a big part of who you are and what you become. I want to share a little of my own story. So as I ask you for support in my campaign for Congress, you will be familiar with my improbable journey that could only happen in the United States.
My story starts in a small village in Japan. My father was an alcoholic and a compulsive gambler. My mother wanted better for us so she plotted our escape for years. Then one day when I was eight, my older brother, my mother and I boarded a boat for Hawaii. My younger brother and grandparents joined us two years later.
We arrived in Hawaii with one suitcase. My mother found work at the Hawaii Hochi Japanese newspaper and for years we lived in a single room all sleeping in one bed. America was not the end of our journey - it was just the beginning.
As an immigrant family we faced many challenges, but we worked hard and persevered. My mother taught us that here, regardless of our meager circumstances, we could build better lives. I studied English and attended Kaimuki High School. I learned to stand up for myself and others through my mother's example of self-reliance.
I share this part of my life with you, because your concerns are my concerns. I understand first hand the personal struggles our island families face. The challenges of raising a family with only one parent, the challenges in seeking quality public education for your children and the challenges of attaining affordable healthcare for your family.
The greatest lesson I have learned is from my mother. When you know what is right you must find the will to act, even against the greatest odds. I carry this lesson with me in all I do. Throughout my life, I have been working hard to do the right thing. And I continue this fight each time I go to DC to best represent my constituents and deliver results to the people of Hawaii.
Life of Service: From an early age, I was attracted to public service. My turning point occurred in the summer of 1968 in Waimanalo where I was selected by the YWCA to live and work with at-risk kids.
Up until that point I though it would be as a social worker, but I realized that as a social worker, I could only help people on a limited level, and that only government could fix the enormous challenges that many people in Hawaii faced. From that moment on, I emerged as an activist, protesting the war in Vietnam and turning my attentions towards politics
I put myself through UH Manoa and then went on to spend the next five years working at the Legislature and participating in other people's campaigns for elective office. Later after saving enough money, I went on to law school at Georgetown University. I then decided to run myself, as a legislator, Lt. Governor, Governor and finally as a US Congresswoman.
Bringing about change that helps people is what motivates me. Over the course of my state legislative career, over 120 of my bills became law. In my first year as a member in the US Congress, I was rated 43rd out of 435 US House members in terms of bringing resources back to my home state. Among my other freshman, I was ranked 4th out of 56.
My Family:
I am proud to have become the first immigrant woman of Asian ancestry to serve in Congress. None of which would have been possible without the support of my family and most of all my mother Laura Hirono. She lives with my husband Leighton Oshima and me along with our cat Hemic.
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