JANM to Honor Duncan Ryuken Williams, Sunyoung Lee, and David Ono at the Annual Benefit on April 6

LOS ANGELES, CA – The Japanese American National Museum (JANM) will host its annual Benefit and Online Auction with the theme Illuminating Paths on Saturday, April 6, 2024 from 5 p.m.–8 p.m. at the Vibiana in downtown Los Angeles. Illuminating Paths recognizes community leaders who weave stories of resilience and courage with poignant lessons from the past and vibrant promises of the future, celebrating their vital paths to inspire and educate the next generation.

The 2024 Benefit will be emceed by Frank Buckley, anchor of KTLA 5 Morning News in Los Angeles. The honorees are Duncan Ryuken Williams and Sunyoung Lee, director and creative director of the Irei project, and David Ono, host of Defining Courage, with musical performances by Kishi Bashi and East LA Taiko.

The Benefit will also feature an online auction that celebrates the community by highlighting goods and services of local businesses, corporate partners, and the works of talented artists. The Museum’s Bid For Education program makes field trips possible for over 12,000 primary and secondary school students and teachers every year. Contributions to this program, which help JANM bring students back to the Museum and develop its virtual visit program, can be made online through janm2024.givesmart.com, by mail, or by phone. Funds raised from the 2024 Lexus Opportunity Drawing will support the Museum’s educational programming and outreach.

Visit janm.org/benefit2024 to purchase individual tickets, participate in the Online Auction, make a Bid for Education, enter the 2024 Lexus Opportunity Drawing, and watch the live stream from 6 p.m.–8 p.m. PDT. 

The 2024 Benefit is sponsored in part by Lexus, MUFG Bank, Ltd., U.S. Bank, ABC Stores, Kari Nakama and Kristine Nishiyama in partnership with Capital Group, Sycamore Tree Capital Partners, and the Takeo and Miyoko Yuki Family. The exclusive local television media partner is KTLA.

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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.