Mineta's Legacy Against Fear | Fort Wayne News

Fort Wayne News Today | 2 Min News | The Daily News Now! · Aug 8, 2026 · 1m

When fear struck after 9/11, Secretary Norman Mineta stood firm against racial profiling in air travel—echoing his own harrowing past as a child interned during WWII. Forced into a Wyoming camp as a ten-year-old because of his Japanese heritage, Mineta lost everything, including his dog. But that trauma fueled his lifelong mission: to fight injustice. Rising through politics as the first Asian American mayor and later cabinet secretary under Bush, he became a symbol of resilience. On September 21, 2001, he issued a powerful directive: no one would be denied flight based on race or religion…