While American museums are still responding to a succession of recent crises, the current Administration has attacked all manner of organizations and individuals who advocate for DEI, environmental justice, the rule of law, and democratic norms. In a politically divided nation rife with disinformation, it is hard to know how museums can or should respond. This session, one of a series, will bring together three museum leaders to discuss some of the ways museums might act during this fraught time. The panelists are
Daniel Aguirre, founder and CEO of Pueblo,
Ann Burroughs, CEO of the Japanese American National Museum, and
Christy Coleman, CEO of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation.
Avi Decter is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.
Topic: My Meeting
Time: May 22, 2025 12:30 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
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Daniel Aguirre is a son, father, brother, partner, and immigrant. His professional experience was earned through grassroots community organizing, working within cultural institutions, formative educational environments, and place based research and engagement efforts. He has supported the growth and development of STEM professionals, science communication professionals and institutional leaders, both in title and culture. He founded Pueblo to partner with organizations and individuals who aim to put inclusion into practice and not linger in promise. We help organizations go beyond transactional outreach efforts into deep community relationships that center equity.
Ann Burroughs is the President and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum. She is an internationally recognized leader in the field of human rights and social justice. She is the Chair of the Board of Directors of Amnesty International USA and was formerly Chair of Amnesty International's Global Assembly. Her life-long commitment to racial and social justice was shaped by her experience as a young activist in her native South Africa where she was jailed as a political prisoner for her opposition to apartheid. For over 25 years, she has worked with leaders, organizations, and networks in the US and abroad to promote diversity, racial justice and a rights-based culture.
Christy S. Coleman, Executive Director of the Jamestown-Yorktown Foundation, is a tireless advocate for the power of museums and narrative correction. She's an innovator in the museum field having held leadership roles at the Colonial Williamsburg Foundation, the Wright Museum of African American History, and the American Civil War Museum. She's also an accomplished public speaker and screenwriter, and has appeared in award-winning documentaries including Grant, Abraham Lincoln, Black Patriots: Civil War Heroes, Neutral Ground, and When the Monuments Came Down. In her spare time, she's a historical consultant for film and television. In 2023, she received the David McCullough Prize for Excellence in American History.