Hundreds attended the service at the San Jose Civic Auditorium yesterday (June 17, 2022) to eulogize the late Bay Area native who was forcibly taken to an internment camp with his family as a child but broke through glass ceilings at every step of his storied political career.

Norman Yoshio Mineta (November 12, 1931 – May 3, 2022) was a giant amongst Asian American politician. He was the first non-white person who served as the mayor of San Jose, CA (1971 – 1975). The first person of East Asian descent to serve as a U.S. Cabinet secretary. He was a Democrat who served as the Secretary of Commerce for Democratic Presidents Bill Clinton, and as the Secretary of Transportation for President George W. Bush, a Republican.

“He was a man of conscience,” said former San Jose Congressman Mike Honda, who was also interned with his family when he was only 1 year old. “He was my North Star, my moral compass.”

“None of us believed we would ever lose Norm because in many ways, he was life itself,” said former U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta. “He wrapped both arms around those he loved and life itself. He never let go.”

President Clinton who attended the service said “I think he decided that he would not live as a victim, that he would not let (his internment) define his whole life. Norm spent a lifetime trying to be a builder, not a breaker. A uniter, not a divider.”

Many of our friends who have known, revered, and missed Norman attended the service. Here is clip of President Clinton speech as posted by Ding Ding TV.