Aba Journal Podcasts - Legal Talk Network

Sen. Mazie Hirono's newly released book, Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter's Story, is part political memoir and part love letter to her family and the state she represents. As Hawaii's first female senator, and the only immigrant currently serving in the U.S. Senate, Hirono had a set of unique obstacles to overcome. One of Hirono's strongest influences is her mother, Laura Hirono, who passed away at 96 shortly before this episode was recorded. After escaping an unhappy marriage in Japan to an abusive man, Laura Hirono brought her two eldest children back to her birthplace of Hawaii when Mazie Hirono was seven years old, with her youngest son and parents joining them later. The economic hardships the Hirono family endured were formative for Hawaii's future Democratic senator. Her campaigns to provide economic support and healthcare for families, as well as her strident opposition to the Trump administration's family separation policy, were bolstered by her personal experiences. Her speech against ending th