‘TRANSFORMING A FORGOTTEN STORY’ THEME FOR NATIONAL MUSEUM'S 2012 ANNUAL DINNER ON MAY 5

The Japanese American National Museum announced that its theme for its 2012 Annual Gala Dinner will be "Transforming a Forgotten Story", highlighting the evolution of the Japanese American World War II story from being forgotten to being shared internationally. Ceremonies are set for Saturday, May 5, 2012, at the J.W. Marriott Hotel at L.A. LIVE and will include the presentation of the Museum’s Distinguished Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement and Public Service to former United States Secretary of Transportation Norman Y. Mineta.

"Transforming a Forgotten Story" traces its roots to February 19, 1942, when President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066. This led to the illegal forced removal of thousands of people of Japanese ancestry from their homes and businesses and the unconstitutional incarceration of over 120,000 Issei and Nisei in domestic concentration camps. It also unfairly stigmatized all people of Japanese ancestry on the mainland and Hawai`i as security risks. While some protested, a remarkable group of Japanese Americans served in the U.S. Armed Forces with great distinction in Europe and the Pacific Theater.

Despite the magnitude of these events, most Americans were unaware of the unfair treatment inflicted by their government on Japanese Americans and of the underlying constitutional issues. At the time, government officials defended their illegal actions as vital to "national security" while telling Japanese Americans it was "for their own good". Neither was true. The Nikkei community decided to not look back and refrained from sharing their experiences with their families. In the post-war era, a majority of Issei and Nisei, believing that there was no way to undo the harm, chose instead to take on the struggle to rebuild their lives. Thus, this became the forgotten story.

With the coming of age during the Civil Rights Movement of the Sansei, the children and grandchildren of those who endured the war, the desire to uncover the full story in the 1960s and 1970s transformed the forgotten story into a community story. This led to the redress movement which came to fruition with the passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, providing for a government apology and reparations to Japanese Americans. The story had become one of national importance with implications for all Americans.

Today, the Japanese American World War II experience has become an essential part of major documentaries, including Ken Burns’ "The War". It has also become the subject of several Japanese documentaries and even was used as the basis of a Japanese television mini-series, "99 Years of Love". The once-forgotten story is now an international story today.

Someone involved in all aspects of this story is Norman Mineta. Born and raised in San Jose, Mineta and his family were swept away by the government and incarcerated in the Heart Mountain, Wyoming concentration camp during World War II. Despite this experience, Mineta became the first Japanese American mayor of a major mainland city (San Jose) and was elected to Congress in 1974. He served for 20 years and helped passed the Civil Liberties Act of 1988 before joining the private sector. He returned to public service when President Clinton nominated him to be Secretary of Commerce in 2000, the first Asian American to hold a Cabinet post. Remarkably, President Bush nominated Mineta to be his Secretary of Transportation in 2001, the first person to hold different Cabinet positions when the Presidency changed parties. His stand against racial profiling in the post-9/11 era brought his experiences full circle where he could prevent another group from suffering what his own family had endured six decades earlier.

The National Museum will recognize Secretary Mineta with its highest award, the Distinguished Medal of Honor for Lifetime Achievement and Public Service, as part of the evening’s program. Only the late U.S. Senator Spark Matsunaga, U.S. Senator Daniel Inouye and the late Akio Morita, co-founder of the Sony Corporation, have been so honored.

The National Museum’s Annual Dinner is its largest single fundraiser. The Dinner Committee Co-Chairs are Gene Kanamori, National Museum Governor and Wendy Shiba, National Museum Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees. The dinner also includes a Silent Auction, the opportunity drawing for the 2013 Lexus GS 450h, donated by Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc., and the live Bid for Education, which supports the Museum’s educational programs. This is the second year the Museum has held its annual dinner at the J.W. Marriott Hotel.

For more information on the 2012 Annual Gala Dinner, call the Japanese American National Museum at (213) 625-0414.