The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) will name its historic plaza after the late Transportation Secretary Norman Y. Mineta (1931–2022).
JANM, located at First Street and Central Avenue in Little Tokyo, will host the dedication ceremony at 4 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26. JANM is proud to commemorate Mineta’s extraordinary legacy, his lifelong commitment to democracy, and his profound impact on the museum.
“Norm’s leadership, generosity, diplomacy, patriotism, and dedication to civil rights inspired the community to invest in the museum’s vision as a place that would preserve Japanese American history and culture and America’s democratic ideals for generations to come,” said Ann Burroughs, JANM president and CEO. “By naming the plaza in his honor, JANM brings his vision for democracy to future generations so that people of all ages and diverse backgrounds are able to understand how his life’s work affects their present lives and the evolving state of democracy.
“The plaza is hallowed ground, one of the Ground Zero points in the civil rights history of this country. It is the bridge that connects the past with the present and the future. There is no more fitting way for us to honor Norm’s profound impact on JANM and his lifelong commitment to democracy than to name our plaza for him.”
The Norman Y. Mineta Democracy Plaza connects JANM’s Pavilion, the Historic Building, and the Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy together, creating a dynamic and inclusive campus that reflects the history, culture, and growth of the Japanese American community and Little Tokyo neighborhood.
Once a through street, the plaza was a site of forced removal for Americans of Japanese ancestry living in the area. Today it is a site of conscience, community, civic engagement, and social justice.
Mineta served on JANM’s Board of Governors from 1988 to 1995 and was the chair from 2010 to 2015. A trustee since 1996, he was the chair of the Board of Trustees from 2015 until his passing in May 2022.
He and his family were forcibly removed from their home in San José and incarcerated along with 120,000 people of Japanese ancestry for the duration of World War II. The family was initially held at the Santa Anita temporary detention center in Los Angeles, and then at the Heart Mountain concentration camp in Wyoming.
Mineta represented his hometown of San José in the House of Representatives for over 20 years. The first Asian American appointed to the Cabinet, he was named secretary of commerce under President Bill Clinton in 2000 and secretary of transportation by President George W. Bush in 2001. He was recognized with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, America’s highest civilian award, in 2006. In 2012 he was awarded JANM’s Distinguished Medal of Honor.
Following the dedication, JANM will present the inaugural Norman Y. Mineta Distinguished Lecture from 5 to 6:30 p.m. with Mitch Landrieu, former mayor of New Orleans. The lecture series, a signature series of the Democracy Center, is centered on the leadership values and principles inspired by Mineta, including his commitment to public service, social justice, and to strengthening U.S.-Japan relations.
The plaza dedication ceremony and lecture are free and open to the public. Reservations are required and will be available online at http://janm.org/democracy.