The Chinese American Museum, JANM, and LA Plaza de Culturas y Artes present Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past in Los Angeles in December 2023

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Chinese American Museum (CAM), Japanese American National Museum (JANM), and LA Plaza de Culturas y Artes (LA Plaza)—will present the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past in Los Angeles initiative, a collaborative series of public programs from December 1–17, 2023. 

With programs that range from symposia and panel discussions to films and family activities, Our Shared Future: Reckoning with our Racial Past in Los Angeles will highlight the dynamic and multicultural nature of the arts in Los Angeles and encourage community members to experience all three museums. The culminating Family Day on Sunday, December 17, will take place at all three venues simultaneously and include activities from other Southern California attractions, welcoming Angelenos of all ages to celebrate the diversity of the city. A full schedule of programs and free tickets are available at janm.org/OurSharedFutureLA. 

CAM and LA Plaza are conveniently located near Union Station, and JANM is just one Metro stop away at Little Tokyo/Arts District Station, making travel to and among the three museums easy via Metro. 

A national initiative of the Smithsonian, The Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past initiative explores the history and legacy of race and racism and seeks to spark positive social change and build a more equitable shared future. In addition to creating content and programming at Smithsonian museums, the initiative is convening programs like Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past in Los Angeles to support diverse programs and encourage conversations and learning about issues related to race and racism with organizations doing similar work in communities across the country. The initiative’s founding partner is Bank of America. More information about the initiative and upcoming programming can be found at oursharedfuture.si.edu.

The Los Angeles series will kick off with the initiative’s National Conversation on Race at JANM on Friday, December 1, at 10 a.m. At the beginning of the event, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the traveling exhibition The Bias Inside Us, an interactive exhibition about the science and history of bias and what people can do about it. The session opens with a performance by Nepantla. A plenary session, “Conversations on Race: Opening the Dialogue,” looks at the intersection of Race, Wealth, Wellness, and the Arts. Speakers will include Leticia Rhi Buckley, CEO, LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes; Dr. Barbara Ferrer, Los Angeles County Public Health Director; James E. Herr, Director of the National Center for the Preservation of Democracy at JANM; Karen Mack, Executive Director of LA Commons, and Dr. Robert K. Ross, CEO and president of The California Endowment. Admission is free.

On Sunday, December 3, at 1 p.m., LA Plaza will host the free program American Latinos in Hollywood: Struggles and Achievements in the Film and TV Industry. American Latino filmmakers and film artists will discuss their careers within the business of Hollywood and the creation of culturally impactful on-screen representations in the multi-platform media age. Guest speakers will be Dr. Alma Martinez, actor, professor and member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; Rafael Agustin, TV writer (Jane The Virgin), author (Illegally Yours), and Board Member of the National Film Preservation Board at the Library of Congress; Angel Manuel Soto, filmmaker, Director and Producer of Blue Beetle; Nancy de los Santos, writer, producer, and director with extensive experience in television production, film production, theatre, and print media. Luis I. Reyes, a scholar, author and lecturer who specializes in the history of Latinos in the Hollywood film industry, will moderate the panel.

Three programs will explore the multicultural influences and intersections that shape Los Angeles’s food culture. On Sunday, December 3, at 2 p.m., JANM will present Cross Cultural Cuisine: The Art of Bringing People Together, a free afternoon program of conversation and food with restaurateurs, chefs, entrepreneurs, and culture commentators that will explore cross-cultural influences on ethnic cuisine in America. A reception catered by The Park’s Finest immediately follows the discussion. LA Plaza will host Plática y Prueba: From China to Mexicali on Thursday, December 7, at 7 p.m. The program will explore how Chinese immigration to Baja California beginning in the late 19th century has contributed to Mexicali’s social, economic, cultural, and gastronomic development. Tickets are $40 and include the informal plática with Maite Gomez-Rejón of ArtBites followed by Chinese/Mexican appetizers. Back at JANM on Friday, December 8, a screening of the bilingual film Backstreet to the American Dream (2021, 102 minutes), directed by Patricia Nazario, examines the classic American Dream through what has become the quintessential 21st-century entrepreneurial endeavor—the food truck. 

On Saturday, December 9, and Sunday, December 10, CAM will present LA 1871, a two-day symposium and special performance that will focus on the history of the Los Angeles Chinese Massacre of 1871. Speakers will provide historical context on Saturday, and day two features music by award-winning composer, Nathan Wang.

Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past in Los Angeles will conclude with a free family celebration, taking place at CAM, JANM, and LA Plaza and including offerings from other Southern California museums including the Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, Columbia Memorial Space Center, and the Museum of Latin American Art (MoLAA) on Sunday, December 17, from noon to 4 p.m. An afternoon of free admission and cultural activities for all ages will explore the rich history of Los Angeles and honor the city’s diversity. Families are encouraged to visit all three museums for multicultural art-making workshops, storytelling, music and dance performances, and more.

December programming at the Museum of Latin American Art relating to the themes of Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past in Los Angeles include Free Guided Tours on Sundays, December 3, 10, and 17; a Corner Garden Workshop led by teaching artist Maria Guadalupe on December 3; and a Community Art Workshop inspired by the architectural nature of Alexandre Arrechea’s exhibition Intersected Horizons on December 7. 

Additional program participants for Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past in Los Angeles include Agua Caliente Cultural Museum, California Black Freedom Fund, Columbia Memorial Science Center, and the Museum of Latin American Art.

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About the Chinese American Museum (CAM)
CAM opened its doors in 2003 and is the first museum in Southern California dedicated to the Chinese American experience and history in this region. Jointly developed and operated by FCAM and El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument, CAM’s mission is to foster a deeper understanding and appreciation of America’s diverse heritage by researching, preserving, and sharing the rich cultural legacy and continuing contributions of Chinese Americans. The museum, 425 North Los Angeles Street, is housed in the historic Garnier Building, oldest and last remaining structure of L.A.’s original Chinatown. Admission to the Chinese American Museum is free with a suggested donation of $3.00 for adults and $2.00 for seniors and students, which supports the El Pueblo de Los Angeles Historical Monument. Visit www.camla.org for more information or call (213) 485-8567. Hours are 10 a.m.– 3 p.m., Tuesday – Sunday. Closed on Mondays and the following holidays: Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Days. CAM is located at the corner of Arcadia and Los Angeles Streets near the intersection of the 101 and 110 Freeways. From Union Station, walk to the main plaza area, south of Olvera Street, to the Museum. Parking is available for a fee in the El Pueblo Parking Lots 1 through 5. Street parking in the surrounding neighborhood is limited.

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.

About LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes (LA Plaza)
LA Plaza is a community hub where people gather to celebrate Latinx culture through transformative exhibitions, music, dance, culinary arts, and multigenerational artmaking and storytelling experiences. An anchor cultural institution in Los Angeles County, LA Plaza centers the Latino experience and provides a space to uplift, share, and preserve the stories of Mexicans, Mexican Americans, and Latinx people in Southern California. Our team members collaborate with artists, guest curators, educators, historians, activists, and community members to activate the campus by providing free or low-cost culturally-rooted programs for Los Angeles County residents. Housed in two historic buildings in downtown Los Angeles, LA Plaza is adjacent to Olvera Street at El Pueblo de Los Angeles. The main campus includes a museum, a 30,000-square-foot outdoor space with a performance stage, and an edible garden. LA Cocina de Gloria Molina, a teaching kitchen dedicated to Mexican and Mexican-American cuisine in the U.S., is located directly across the street and offers cooking classes and demonstrations, a culinary arts training program, and private tastings. Established in 2011, LA Plaza is a Smithsonian affiliate museum. For more information, visit lapca.org or follow us on social media @laplazala.