Norman Mineta and His Legacy: an American Story
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
NORMAN MINETA AND HIS LEGACY: AN AMERICAN STORY Directed by Dianne Fukami Produced by Dianne Fukami & Debra Nakatomi TRT: 56:00 MINUTES IN ENGLISH PRESS CONTACT: Dianne Fukami ([email protected]) Debra Nakatomi ([email protected]) (310) 914-5000 WWW.MINETALEGACYPROJECT.COM NORMAN MINETA AND HIS LEGACY: AN AMERICAN STORY SYNOPSIS SHORT SYNOPSIS Norman Mineta's story follows his experience as a Japanese American inside a U.S. concentration camp to his rise to prominence making him one of the most influential Asian Americans in U.S. history. A bipartisan visionary who championed political civility, he is a change maker whose legacy includes a lifelong commitment to social justice. LONG SYNOPSIS An American Story: Norman Mineta and His Legacy is a film about injustice, redemption, and a burning desire for all people to be treated equally. The child of immigrants, Norman Mineta's uniquely American story charts a path from the shame he experienced as a Japanese American inside a U.S. concentration camp during World War II to his triumphant rise to political prominence that shaped every level of government, and made him one of the most influential Asian Americans in the history of our nation. His distinguished career is an unmatched slate of achievements, including 20 years in the United States Congress and eventually serving in the Cabinets of two Presidents from different political parties— Bill Clinton and George W. Bush. Still thriving today in his 80s, he is celebrated as a bipartisan visionary who championed political civility yet was a bold change maker with a deft political touch whose legacy includes a lifelong commitment to social justice. NORMAN MINETA AND HIS LEGACY: AN AMERICAN STORY IMAGES & VIDEOS Images and videos are available upon request. Please email Dianne Fukami ([email protected]) or Debra Nakatomi ([email protected]). Description of Still Images: 1. Norman Mineta’s parents: Kane Watanabe Mineta (on the left) and Kunisaku Mineta in 1914, Courtesy Mineta Family 2. Norman and Deni Mineta at the 2016 Northern California Cherry Blossom Parade when he was Grand Marshal, Courtesy Mineta Legacy Project 3. Heart Mountain Relocation Center circa 1942-1945, Courtesy National Archives and Records Administration 4. Former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson (R-WY) with boyhood friend Norman Mineta at the 2015 Heart Mountain Annual Pilgrimage, Courtesy Mineta Legacy Project 5. Former President George W. Bush interviewed in Dallas, TX at the Bush Presidential Library, September 2017, Courtesy Mineta Legacy Project 6. Former President Bill Clinton interviewed in New York at the Clinton Foundation, June 2017, Courtesy Mineta Legacy Project 7. Danealia “Deni” Mineta and Norman Y. Mineta after he was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, December 2006, Courtesy Mineta Family 8. Norman Y. Mineta, Courtesy Mineta Legacy Project 9. Mineta family members and friends at Heart Mountain Relocation Center during World War II. Norman is in front row in the white shirt. Courtesy Mineta Family 10. Danealia “Deni” and Norman Mineta, 2016, Courtesy Mineta Family 11. Heart Mountain, 2015, Courtesy Mineta Legacy Project Description of Video Clips: 1. HR 442 and Righting Wrongs – TRT: 2:24 Excerpt of Rep. Norman Mineta’s speech on the House floor in 1988; footage of President Ronald Reagan signing the Civil Liberties Act of 1988; reflections from Mineta on its passage; former Rep. Barney Frank talking about Mineta’s role in supporting same-sex marriage. 2. Heart Mountain Relocation Center – TRT: 2:40 Archival footage and photos of Heart Mountain Relocation Center where the Mineta family was incarcerated during World War II; Mineta’s memories of Heart Mountain during a 2013 trip there; still photos of Japanese Americans imprisoned in other concentration camps 3. Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and President George W. Bush – TRT: 3:00 Former President George W. Bush on reasons for selecting Mineta, a Democrat, as Secretary of Transportation; Mineta’s perspective on political civility and bipartisanship; Mineta and Bush reminisce about personal conversation about Japanese American incarceration experience; Bush on impact of Mineta’s Cabinet presence in forming 9/11 domestic policies. 4. Secretary Norman Y. Mineta and Senator Alan Simpson – TRT: 2:39 Mineta and former U.S. Senator Alan Simpson from Wyoming reminisce about meeting during World War II as 11-year old Boy Scouts when Simpson’s troop visited the Japanese Americans imprisoned at Heart Mountain Relocation Center, resulting in a lifelong friendship in spite of differing political philosophies. NORMAN MINETA AND HIS LEGACY: AN AMERICAN STORY BIOGRAPHY OF NORMAN Y. MINETA Norman Y. Mineta is a man of many firsts: the first Asian American mayor of a major city; the first Japanese American from the mainland to be elected to Congress; and, the first Asian American to serve in a presidential cabinet. But beyond these groundbreaking achievements, he personifies our dreams and aspirations. Norm is the son of immigrants forcibly removed from his home with his family to spend years in an internment camp during World War II. And yet, he remains a patriot, has led with integrity achieving a long and storied career as a public servant and continues to champion the underserved and mentor young leaders. Mineta's career in public service has been both distinguished and unique. For almost 30 years, Mineta represented San Jose, California, first on the City Council, then as mayor and serving 21 years as a Member of Congress. Mineta served as chairman of the U.S. House Committee on Public Works and Transportation from 1992 to 1994, and chaired the Subcommittees on Aviation and Surface Transportation. He was the primary author of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991. Throughout that time, Mineta was an advocate of the burgeoning technology industry. He worked to encourage new industries, spur job growth, and supported the development of the infrastructure needed to accommodate the technology industry and its tremendous growth. In 2000, President Bill Clinton appointed Mineta Secretary of Commerce. There, Mineta was known for his work on technology issues, bridging the digital divide, achieving international and intergovernmental cooperation on complex fisheries issues, and for streamlining the patent and trademark process. President George W. Bush appointed Mineta Secretary of Transportation, where he served until 2006. Following the horrific terrorist acts of September 11, 2001, Mineta grounded all aviation flights and then guided the creation of the Transportation Security Administration—an agency with more than 65,000 employees—marking the largest mobilization of a new federal agency since World War II. He is well known for his work in the areas of transportation—including aviation, surface transportation and infrastructure—and national security. He is recognized for his accomplishments in economic development, science and technology policy, foreign and domestic trade, budgetary issues and civil rights. Mineta was also a vice president of Lockheed Martin, where he oversaw the first successful implementation of the EZ-Pass system in New York State. Today, Mineta is the President and CEO of Mineta and Associates, LLC. Recognized for his leadership, Mineta has received numerous awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom—the highest civilian honor in the United States—and the Wright Brothers Memorial Trophy, which is awarded for significant public service of enduring value to aviation in the United States. In February 2016, he was named a Chubb Fellow at Yale University. While in Congress, he was the co-founder of the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and chair of the National Civil Aviation Review Commission in 1997. He is married to Danealia (Deni) Mineta and has two sons, David K. Mineta and Stuart S. Mineta and two stepsons, Robert M. Brantner and Mark D. Brantner. NORMAN MINETA AND HIS LEGACY: AN AMERICAN STORY PRODUCTION CREW BIOGRAPHIES Lawrence R. Hott, Executive Producer Hott has been producing documentary films since 1978, when he left the practice of law to join Florentine Films. His awards include an Emmy, two Academy Award nominations, a George Foster Peabody Award, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia Journalism Award, the Erik Barnouw OAH History Award, five American Film Festival Blue Ribbons, fourteen CINE Golden Eagles, screenings at Telluride, and first-place awards from the San Francisco, Chicago, National Educational, and New England Film Festivals. He has produced and directed two dozen films for national PBS broadcast. Dianne Fukami, Director/Co-Producer Fukami has produced, directed, and written more than a half-dozen documentaries on the Asian American experience (mostly on Japanese-American history) which have been broadcast on PBS stations across the country. Separate Lives, Broken Dreams, about the Chinese Exclusion Act, was nominated for a national Emmy Award; Starting Over: Japanese Americans After the War has received many scholarly citations for its first-person anecdotes. Her most recent documentary, Stories From Tohoku, was showcased at CAAMFest in 2014 (formerly the San Francisco Asian International Film Festival) and screened at film festivals in New York and Los Angeles. Debra Nakatomi, Co-Producer Nakatomi is founder of a strategic communications firm that for over 25 years has developed communications and civic engagement campaigns promoting equity and social change. She is an advisor to