JANM STATEMENT REGARDING THE 2016 PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

The Japanese American National Museum respects the democratic process and its results in selecting the next president of the United States. As an institution whose mission is to promote understanding and appreciation of America’s ethnic and cultural diversity, we hope that the 45th President of the United States will remember the unlawful violation of Japanese Americans’ civil rights during World War II that led to their incarceration in concentration camps, and aggressively act to prevent that kind of history from repeating itself.

“During his campaign, Donald Trump made alarming statements threatening the civil rights of specific ethnic groups. I hope that as he selects his cabinet members and fully prepares to assume the role of president, Mr. Trump has the opportunity to reconsider what he has said and be a leader who supports equality and liberty for all in this nation,” said Norman Y. Mineta, former US Secretary of Transportation, former US Secretary of Commerce, and the National Museum’s Chair of the Board of Trustees. Mineta was incarcerated with his family at the Heart Mountain, Wyoming, camp during the war.

“I know Mr. Trump from when I appeared on the Celebrity Apprentice television show in 2012,” said George Takei, who currently sits on the museum’s Board of Trustees and who was incarcerated with his family at the camps in Rohwer, Arkansas, and Tule Lake, California. “Then and now, we disagree on many things. I did not vote for Mr. Trump, but while we all must abide by the results of a fairly executed democratic election, I remind him that now, as the President of all Americans, he must acknowledge the diversity of our history, experiences, and contributions. This is our common mission.”

About the Japanese American National Museum (JANM)

Established in 1985, the Japanese American National Museum 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 hybrid institution that straddles traditional museum categories and strives to provide a voice for Japanese Americans as well as a forum that enables all people to explore their own heritage and culture. Since opening to the public, JANM has presented over 70 exhibitions onsite and traveled 17 of its exhibitions to locations around the world, including the Smithsonian Institution and the Ellis Island Museum in the United States, and several leading cultural museums in Japan and South America.

JANM is located at 100 N. Central Ave., Los Angeles. Museum hours are Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. General admission is $10 adults, $6 students and seniors, free for members and children under age five. Admission is free to everyone on Thursdays from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. and every third Thursday of the month from noon to 8 p.m. General admission prices and free admission times may not apply to specially ticketed exhibitions. Closed Monday, 4th of July, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year’s Day. For more information visit janm.org or call 213.625.0414.