Norman Mineta was born and raised in San José, California, to parents who emigrated from Japan. After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Mineta's family was forced to relocate and live in an internment camp. Despite experiencing one of the worst examples of government-sanctioned racial discrimination in our country's history, Norman Mineta has dedicated the greater part of his working life to the service of his community and country.

From 1975 to 1995, he served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives. As a member of Congress, Mineta was known for his dedication to the people of his district, for consensus building among his colleagues, and for forging public-private partnerships. He co-founded the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus and served as its first chair. Mineta proposed legislation authorizing a formal apology and monetary reparations to those put in internment camps during World War II. Year after year, Mineta pressed the matter, finally securing passage of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, signed into law by President Ronald Reagan.

Norman Mineta became the 14th U.S. Secretary of Transportation on January 25, 2001. Following the attacks of 9/11, Mineta successfully directed all flights over United States airspace to land immediately, and secured the cooperation of the Canadian government in diverting incoming international flights to Canada. In the weeks that followed, he won widespread praise for restoring public confidence in the transportation system. Over the next year, he played the leading role in establishing the Transportation Security Administration, a federal agency responsible for insuring the security of air travel.

Prior to joining President Bush's administration as Secretary of Transportation, Mineta served as U.S. Secretary of Commerce under President Clinton, becoming the first Asian Pacific American to serve in the cabinet. Prior to joining the Commerce Department, he was a vice president at Lockheed Martin Corporation. He is currently Vice Chairman of the Washington-based public relations firm Hill & Knowlton.

Since 9/11, Rana Sodhi has been devoted to mobilizing the Sikh American community to create awareness about the Sikh faith, as well as serving as a spokesperson against hate and violence. Rana Sodhi is the younger brother of Balbir Singh Sodhi, America's first post 9/11 hate crime murder victim. Balbir was gunned down at his Mesa gas station just days after 9/11 by Frank Roque, who claimed he was seeking revenge for the terrorist attacks. In August 2002, Sukhpal Singh Sodhi, Rana's other brother, was shot in the back in mysterious circumstances while driving a cab in San Francisco. Nine months later in May 2003, Rana's friend, Avatar Singh Chera, was shot by three men who yelled, "Go back to where you came from!"

Despite these tragedies, Rana has sought exoneration for his brothers' murders by working to educate fellow Americans in an attempt to prevent further hate crimes; representing his family and his brothers; running his numerous small businesses to support his family; and, most importantly, teaching his three children how to inform others about tolerance and respect. Along with being a small business owner, Rana serves as a member of the Sikh advisory of the Phoenix Police Department, is actively involved with various facets of his community, and supports the activities of several civil rights organizations. Rana's dedication to the community has been awarded by the City of Phoenix and the Anti-Defamation League. He was also invited by President Obama as a guest at the White House State Dinner honoring the visiting Prime Minister of India, Dr. Manmohan Singh.