Physical Description: 163 boxes
Series Scope and Content Summary
This series documents Mineta's congressional role in implementing national policies on a variety of political topics. Mineta's
interest in transportation (land, sea, and air) as well as trade and commerce is well represented. In addition, Mineta played
a leadership role in the establishment of the 1978 Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC). Mineta
also secured passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, recognizing the wartime treatment of Japanese Americans. Mineta had
a profound interest in preserving the constitutional rights of Asian Pacific Americans, and he used his leverage in Congress
to influence public figures to act responsibly and respectfully toward all races. Following the negative portrayal of Judge
Ito during the O.J. Simpson trial in the 1990s by Senator D'Amato, Mineta co-founded the Congressional Asian Pacific American
Caucus (CAPAC) in 1994 in an effort to promote and secure equal rights for Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders. Mineta was
also very involved with the Smithsonian Museum and headed an advisory group for the Asian Pacific American Program, which
was developed in the late 1990s to better reflect the Asian Pacific American experience in Smithsonian exhibitions, programs,
and research. Other subjects covered in this series include health issues, women's issues, civil rights, hate/racism, taxes,
various Bay Area issues, and NASA. This series also contains administration plans, amendments, budgets, contracts, correspondence,
grants, legislative files, meetings and agendas, and reports.
It should be noted that the Japanese Internment legislation is not represented here and can be found at the Japanese American
Museum in Los Angeles, California. None of the policy files involve the Civil Liberties Act of 1988.
Arrangement
This series is arranged chronologically by date range.
