ANN BURROUGHS ELECTED CHAIR OF AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL’S GLOBAL COUNCIL

Los Angeles, CA—Ann Burroughs, President and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum, has been named Chair of Amnesty International’s Global Council, the organization’s highest decision-making body that brings together human rights leaders from over 70 countries.

“Ann has been a transformative leader of the Japanese American National Museum since joining us 2016. She has long been involved with Amnesty International, and I’m very proud that as JANM’s President and CEO, she has now been named to such a prestigious post with another important organization devoted to social justice—a subject that is at the very core of what the museum explores and presents,” said Norman Y. Mineta, Chair of the JANM Board of Trustees.

As a young anti-apartheid activist in her native South Africa, Burroughs was jailed as a political prisoner and Amnesty International came to her aid and helped secure her freedom. She later joined organization as member of its staff and went on to hold a number of leadership positions in it. She is the immediate past Chair of the Board of Directors of Amnesty International USA.

Burroughs was named President and CEO of JANM in March 2017, after having served in those roles in an interim capacity since June 2016.

NOW ON VIEW AT JANM:

hapa.me – 15 years of the hapa project
Through October 28, 2018
Artist Kip Fulbeck continues his project, begun in 2001, of photographing persons who identify as “hapa”—of mixed Asian/Pacific Islander descent—as a means of promoting awareness and positive acceptance of multiracial identity. As a follow-up to kip fulbeck: part asian, 100% hapa, his groundbreaking 2006 exhibition, hapa.me pairs the photographs and statements from that exhibition with contemporary portraits of the same individuals and newly written statements, showing not only their physical changes in the ensuing years, but also changes in their perspectives and outlooks on the world. In addition, hapa.me includes portraits of hundreds of new participants and an interactive section where, on select days, viewers can join the community by having their portrait taken and writing their own personal statement.

Common Ground: The Heart of Community
Ongoing
Incorporating hundreds of objects, documents, and photographs collected by JANM, this exhibition chronicles 130 years of Japanese American history, from the early days of the Issei pioneers through the World War II incarceration to the present. In commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the Civil Liberties Act of 1988, the final section of Common Ground has been reimagined to further emphasize the redress movement, the landmark passage of the Act, and its relevance today. Two pages of the original Civil Liberties Act will be on display through September 23, 2018, on loan from the National Archives.

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 80 exhibitions onsite and traveled 20 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 $12 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.