Daniel K. Inouye (DKI) Leaders in Action, a student-lead club in the College of Social Sciences, hosted a live stream of a public lecture titled “Protecting National Security and Civil Liberties” on Tuesday, April 19, 2016. This was the second event for the Library of Congress Daniel K. Inouye Annual Lecture Series and featured former U.S. Secretary of Transportation Norman Mineta and former U.S. Senator Alan K. Simpson, who explored the topic of ensuring civil liberties in times of national crisis.
The connection between Mineta and Simpson spans decades. Both met during World War II when Simpson’s Boy Scout troop met with Mineta’s troop at Wyoming’s Heart Mountain Relocation Center, where Mineta’s family was interned with more than 10,000 other Japanese-Americans. Simpson was living in the adjacent community of Cody at the time. From that meeting grew a lifelong friendship between the two leaders committed to public service to America.
The lecture took place at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., and was live-streamed in real-time at UH Mānoa as part of the club’s efforts to encourage participation and engagement by the UH Mānoa community on the importance of bipartisanship, governance and democracy in the U.S.
“The DKI Leaders in Action was proud be a part of bringing forth a topic of great significance. The lecture, which addressed the fragility of civil liberties and the need to safeguard these rights, is something that speaks directly to the heart of who Senator Inouye was – an unwavering supporter and protector of America’s fundamental freedoms. The experiences shared by Norman Mineta and Alan Simpson were a particularly poignant reminder of the need to protect our constitutional rights from infringements. Their friendship, born during an era in America when race ultimately led to the questioning of one’s loyalty to the nation, is an example that we all should follow – to transcend labels created by previous generations,” said David B. Enriquez, secretary, DKI Leaders in Action. He added, “Hawai‘i plays a vital role in a global conversation surrounding the need to safeguard civil liberties from without and from within. As a club, we are proud to serve as a catalyst to engage our peers and the community in this critical conversation.”
The Library of Congress Daniel K. Inouye Annual Lecture Series, in its second of a five year arrangement, focuses on the themes of bipartisanship and moral courage. The lecture series honors the Senator’s lifelong commitment to bringing Washington, D.C., and a national dialogue to Hawai‘i to inspire young people to think about a future beyond our shores, and to have the confidence to pursue that future.
Inouye served as Hawaii’s first U.S. representative and then as U.S. senator for nearly half a century. He was a member of the Senate Watergate Committee, chairman of the Senate Iran-Contra Committee, and a long-time member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, which he chaired from 2009 to 2012. Inouye died in 2012. A veteran of World War II, Inouye was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his military service and was posthumously awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, becoming the first senator to receive both honors.
The DKI Leaders in Action aims to provide a forum for awareness, student engagement, discussions, and leadership events encompassing issues of democracy, public service, civic engagement, government affairs and U.S. and Hawaii’s political issues. The organization will promote partnerships between the university and the community through various events that will allow students to develop into leaders in school, community and government.
