The Democracy Center Celebrates Civic Season with Live Storytelling and More on June 29

LOS ANGELES, CA –  The Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy (Democracy Center) at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) celebrates Civic Season (Juneteenth–July 4) with live storytelling, music, food trucks, voting information, and family activities on Saturday, June 29, 2024. This event is free and open to the public; RSVPs are recommended and can be made at janm.org/democracy.

Civic Season connects America’s newest and oldest federal holidays together, creating a movement to understand the past and shape the future. This year’s festivities include a Free Resource Fair (1–6 p.m.) with community organizations and LA County departments and What’s Your American Story? (3–5 p.m.) a live storytelling performance that is a culmination of the Democracy Center’s program, My American Story. Ten diverse storytellers will work with rapper, activist, and educator jason chu throughout June to choose their own meaningful story to tell, structure it in a compelling way, and confidently perform it.

My American Story is presented by the Democracy Center in partnership with the Center for Asian Americans United for Self Empowerment and the Los Angeles County Asian American Employees Association. The event is sponsored by the Annenberg Foundation. Civic Season is an initiative of Made By Us, a coalition of 500 renowned cultural, community, and educational organizations nationwide. The 2024 Civic Season brings the public one moment closer to the US’s 250th anniversary in 2026. By creating collaborative opportunities during Civic Season each organization builds greater capacity.

###

About the Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy (Democracy Center)

The Democracy Center is a place where visitors can examine the Asian American experience, past and present, and talk about race, identity, social justice, and the shaping of democracy. It convenes and educates people of all ages about democracy to transform attitudes, celebrate culture, and promote civic engagement; educates and informs the public and public officials about important issues; creates strength within and among communities to advocate for positive change; and explores the values that shape American democracy. The Democracy Center looks for solutions that engage communities in self-advocacy, explore the evolving idea of what it means to be an American, and result in actions that bring everyone together.

About the Japanese American National Museum (JANM)

Established in 1985, JANM promotes understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity by sharing the Japanese American experience. Located in the historic Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles, JANM is a center for civil rights, ensuring that the hard-fought lessons of the World War II incarceration are not forgotten. A Smithsonian Affiliate and one of America’s Cultural Treasures, JANM is a hybrid institution that straddles traditional museum categories. JANM is a center for the arts as well as history. It provides a voice for Japanese Americans and a forum that enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Since opening to the public in 1992, JANM has presented over 100 exhibitions onsite while traveling 40 exhibits to venues such as the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and to several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America. JANM is open on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday–Sunday from 11 a.m.–5 p.m. and on Thursday from 12 p.m.–8 p.m. JANM is free every third Thursday of the month. On all other Thursdays, JANM is free from 5 p.m.–8 p.m. For more information, visit janm.org or follow us on social media @jamuseum.