June 7, 2021

Special to BuzzFlash by Spenser Seddon

This week’s BuzzFlash “Wings of Justice” award goes to Mazie Hirono, a longtime public servant and current Democratic Senator from Hawaii. While Sen. Hirono has entered the national spotlight in perhaps only the last several years, she has a decades-long record of public service and progressive political advocacy at the local, state, and national levels. In recognition of Hirono’s years of hard work and her more recent turn as an outspoken critic of egregious Trumpian misdeeds, we’re proud to honor Senator Hirono with the “Wings of Justice.”

Immigrating from Japan to Hawaii as a young child, Hirono grew up in difficult circumstances – often struggling and with little money, but sustained and inspired by her mother, who worked multiple jobs to support Mazie and her brother in their new life in the US. Gradually working her way through high school in Honolulu, college in Hawaii, and eventually law school, Hirono’s own lived experience informs her compassion for others and strong moral sensibility and led her to “a life in public service and advocacy.”

Following a brief period spent working antitrust in the Hawaii attorney general’s office, Hirono’s political career began in earnest in 1980 with a lengthy tenure in the Hawaii state House of Representatives, before then eventually being elected Hawaii’s Lieutenant Governor in 1994. Always bearing her constituents in mind, Hirono was a strong advocate for consumer and worker protection, early education programs, and smart policy to assist Hawaii’s tourism industry. Hirono’s turn to the national stage came with her 2006 election to the US House, where she served three terms and pushed in particular for nationwide preschool programs and to protect reproductive rights and women’s healthcare.

With her 2012 bid for US Senate, Hirono became the first Asian-American woman ever elected to that chamber, and the role has provided ever more opportunity to continue her work in the interest of the public and our democracy. While Senator Hirono’s initial years in office were productive, including work on the Judiciary, Energy, and Armed Services Committees, it’s the last few years that’ve seen Hirono really shine and become a more fiercely vocal proponent for vulnerable and marginalized people. We’ve been glad to see it.

Coinciding with Trump’s move into the White House – and the mendacity, cruelty, corruption, and incompetence that attended his term in office – Hirono has found herself compelled to speak up and speak out like never before, and we’re all better off for it. One of Mazie’s greatest hits so far: in the midst of the hearings to confirm the repugnant Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, the Senator made a point of emphasizing the need for American men everywhere to “shut up and step up” and “do the right thing” in confronting a culture that tolerates and perpetuates sexual violence and misogyny. Hirono has been on point in her grilling of judicial nominees (including Kavanaugh and Coney Barrett) and her verbal sparring with the likes of Ted Cruz, William Barr, and Mitch McConnell. Perhaps most importantly, Hirono has been a sharp and persistent critic of Trump himself over the long span of his misdeeds in (and out of) office, ranging from Trump’s day-to-day misogynistic rants about “nasty” women to his ongoing racist remarks relating to the COVID-19 pandemic to his relentless push of the farce that is the “Big Lie” about the 2020 election. It is to Sen. Hirono’s credit that she speaks up, speaks out, and speaks truth to power in the face of what we’ve all seen in the last few years.

Matching her deeds with her words, Senator Hirono’s work as a legislator continues to put into practice her compassionate and morally grounded sensibility, and we’re glad to see that, as well. Of particular note, Sen. Hirono was the lead sponsor of the recent “COVID-19 Hate Crimes Act,” which passed both Congressional chambers with bipartisan support and which President Biden signed into law last month. Though the bill has a limited scope in its grappling with racism and Anti-Asian hate issues, it’s something we can all build on, coming at a crucial time as we strive to also grapple with the pandemic, and Sen. Hirono should be commended for her work in helping to get it done.

We’re thankful for public servants and progressive voices like Sen. Mazie Hirono, and we’re proud to support and celebrate the work that she does – along with the work of so many others, day in and day out. Here’s to speaking up, speaking out, and working on what’s next in preserving our democracy and building our collective future.

Here’s to you, Senator Hirono!

Spenser Seddon is a writer, editor, and marketing & communications professional based in Seattle.

BuzzFlash is once again honoring upstanding & outstanding people with our Wings of Justice recognition! Read the full collection of recent honorees here, and peruse selections archived from our original website here.

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