Descubra Nikkei

https://www.discovernikkei.org/pt/interviews/clips/1210/

“Work hard at the job you’re at”

I think as I look back over the forty years I'd been in public service, one of the things I always tried to do was not to get caught up in this whole thing about, "Where are you gonna be?" "Where are you going?" and looking out into the future as to where you want to go. Because I think a lot of people make a mistake about keeping their sight on where they want to go, and they'll stumble over something right in front of them. And so I've always maintained, work hard at the job you're in, do a good job there. Because then, if you come to a fork in the road, and it's like the great American philosopher Yogi Berra said, "When you come to the fork in the road, take it." But if people are so intent on their goal way over there, that's, that's driving them. It's not a personal decision, and I want to be in control of myself, not let other outside things direct me as to what I'm going to be doing. So I've always maintained: work hard at the job you're at.

And so I always figured, just work hard at being mayor. Be a good mayor, and whatever happens in terms of opportunities that pop up or whatever you want to do, you can then do it. If you're mayor and a very difficult task comes up, if you've got creditability and a depth of, reserve of goodwill, then you can sacrifice some of that goodwill to take on this very difficult task. And so I've always felt, you just work hard at the job you're at, don't worry about having to keep your sight on where you're going to go in the future, 'cause that can really, you can stumble over something right in front of you.


governos política

Data: July 4, 2008

Localização Geográfica: Colorado, US

Entrevistado: Tom Ikeda

País: Watase Media Arts Center, Japanese American National Museum

Entrevistados

Norman Mineta nasceu em 12 de novembro de 1931 em San Jose, na Califórnia. Ele e sua família foram encarcerados no campo de internamento Heart Mountain durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial.

Mineta iniciou sua carreira política ao ser indicado para preencher um posto vago no Conselho Municipal de San Jose. Ele foi eleito ao cargo no mandato seguinte; depois atuou como vice-prefeito, e finalmente prefeito de San Jose em 1971.

Mineta serviu na Câmara dos Deputados dos E.U.A. de 1975 a 1995, e teve um papel crucial na aprovação da Lei dos Direitos Civis de 1988, H.R. 442. Esta lei incluía um pedido de perdão oficial, como também indenizações pelo encarceramento em massa inconstitucional de nipo-americanos durante a Segunda Guerra Mundial

No ano 2000, Mineta se tornou o primeiro asiático-americano a exercer um cargo no gabinete presidencial ao ser apontado pelo presidente Bill Clinton como Ministro do Comércio. No ano seguinte, George W. Bush o escolheu como Ministro dos Transportes. Mineta era o único Democrata no gabinete de Bush, e acabou servindo como Ministro dos Transportes pelo período mais longo desde a criação do cargo em 1967. (Dezembro 2011)

Yamada,Mitsuye

Grateful for The Quakers’ help in camp and finding jobs outside of camp

(n. 1923) Kibei Nisei poet, activist