Yesterday, U.S. Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves honored the life and legacy of Norman Y. Mineta and officially named the Commerce Department’s auditorium in his honor. Secretary Mineta was the first Asian American to hold a cabinet position, serving at the Commerce Department and Department of Transportation. Held on his birthday, the event celebrated Secretary Mineta’s lifetime achievements and contributions to civil rights, diversity, and public service.

At the event, Deputy Secretary Graves unveiled a plaque that pays homage to Secretary Mineta’s significant contributions to the Commerce Department, the Asian American community, and the Nation.

“Through his life of service, especially here at the Commerce Department, Secretary Mineta became a trailblazer for expanding economic opportunity for all Americans,” said Deputy Secretary Graves.  “He will always be an inspiration to those of us who work at the Department of Commerce, as he is for people all over this country.”

In his decades-long career in public service, Secretary Mineta worked across the aisle to build consensus and implement constructive policies that transformed our infrastructure, transportation, commerce, and technology. As the Commerce Secretary, Mineta was committed to the protection and integrity of Census Bureau data, streamlining the patent and trademark process, and negotiating complex international fisheries agreements.

Mineta’s advocacy for civil rights was shaped by his early experiences in Japanese internment camps during WWII. While serving in the House of Representatives, he helped pass the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which formally apologized for these injustices.

The Department of Commerce recognizes that America’s diversity has always been its greatest strength and is committed to creating an economy that works for all Americans. Read more about the Commerce Department’s commitment to an equitable and prosperous future for Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander workers, entrepreneurs, and businesses.