Washington, D.C. / June 28, 2006 ­ The Asian American Action Fund commends Secretary Norman Y. Mineta for his honorable service and commitment to the Asian American community, and to the country. Secretary Norman Mineta resigned from the Department of Transportation effective July 7th.

"Secretary Mineta’s commitment to the Asian American community has always been strong and steady," said Representative Mike Honda (D-CA), Honorary Chair of AAAFund. "As the first Asian American cabinet member appointed by President Clinton, his influence on the Asian American community has been marked by an emphasis on having more Asian Americans involved, politically and publicly."

Mineta was a trailblazer who has accomplished many firsts for Asian Americans. He was the mayor of San Jose from 1971 to 1974, and served in Congress from 1975 until 1995. Eventually he became the first to chair a committee in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was the first to be appointed to the President’s cabinet by Clinton as the Secretary of Commerce. President Bush appointed Mineta in 2001 as the Secretary of Transportation, where he has become the longest serving Secretary of Transportation.

"Secretary Mineta served as a much needed role model for me and other Asian Pacific Americans seeking to make an impact in government," said Irene Bueno, Executive Director of AAA-Fund. "Not only was he a role model, but was instrumental in founding and strengthening organizations like CAPAC, APAICS, and AAA-Fund which have now become mainstays in the political process. We hope he continues to stay involved with the AAA-Fund."

As a member of Congress for 20 years he was the driving force behind passage of H.R. 442, the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, which officially apologized for and redressed the injustices endured by Japanese Americans during the War. In 1995, George Washington University awarded the Martin Luther King, Jr. Commemorative Medal to Mineta for his contributions to the field of civil rights. He also co-founded the bipartisan, bicameral Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus in 1994. His long history of work in local, state, and federal government is a testament to his tireless dedication to improving the lives of all Americans.

"Norm Mineta was particularly instrumental in the early days of the AAA-Fund," said Yeni Wong, co-founder and Chairwoman of AAA-Fund. "He was our very first honorary board member. At the time he joined, it was a leap of faith for him, and a tremendous boost for us. He encouraged other public servants such as Bob Underwood to join, and played an instrumental role in our first fundraiser for Mike Honda. Mineta packed the house at the first fundraiser, the AAA-Fund got off to a roaring start."

The AAA-Fund is a Democratic political action committee whose goal is to increase the voice of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders on every level of local, state and federal government in America. To achieve this goal, we address the chronic underrepresentation of Asian Pacific Americans (APAs) as campaign volunteers, campaign contributors, and candidates for political office.

Various candidates have sought, and received, the endorsement of the AAA-Fund in this election cycle, including Phil Angelides (gubernatorial candidate in California), John Chiang (candidate for California state controller), Kumar Barve (candidate for state delegate in Maryland), Daniel Akaka (senatorial candidate in Hawaii), Tammy Duckworth (congressional candidate from Illinois), Mee Moua (candidate for state senator in Minnesota), Hubert Vo (candidate for state representative in Texas), and William Tong (candidate for state representative in Connecticut).