Asian-Pacific Heritage Month 2008
Leadership, Diversity, Harmony: Gateway to Success
Timeline of Historical Events Page 5 of 5
| 1996 | The First Chinese American Governor Gary Locke became the state of Washington's 21st elected governor. |
| 1998 | In a White House ceremony, President Bill Clinton awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Fred
Korematsu for challenging the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II. Fifteen Japanese American baseball players from the semi-pro Nisei baseball leagues are officially honored by Major League Baseball's "Hall of Fame" for their role in baseball history. |
| 2000 | Norman Y. Mineta was confirmed as Secretary of Commerce, becoming the first Asian American to hold a Cabinet post and previously the first Asian American mayor of a major U.S. city (San Jose, California). |
| 2001 | Elaine L. Chao was confirmed as the 24th U.S. Secretary of Labor, becoming the first Chinese American woman to serve in the Cabinet. |
| 2003 | The Organization of Chinese Americans (OCA) and Congressman Mike Honda (D-CA). Honda introduced a Joint Resolution posthumously proclaiming soldiers of Asian descent who fought in the Civil War to be honorary citizens of the United States (H. J. Res. 125). |
| 2004 | Arkansas commemorated the history of two internment camps in the southeastern part of the state, the only ones in the South; 8 camps were in the West. More than 120,000 Japanese-Americans were relocated at 10 internment camps in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor. |
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Gary Locke served as Governor for the State of Washington from 1997 – 2005, and the first Chinese American to hold that position in the United States.
Photo credit: public domain; source: State of Washington