Speakers will explore models for equitable recovery from L.A. wildfires.
The Daniel K. Inouye National Center for the Preservation of Democracy at the Japanese American National Museum (JANM) will once again host the Smithsonian’s National Conversation on Race on Friday, March 28, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Tickets are free and open to the public. Reservations are required and are available at janm.org/democracy.
Building on the 2024 discussions at the intersection of race at issues of wealth, health, and the arts, this year’s dialogue examines the urgent contemporary forces shaping these issues. With a focus on youth empowerment and the role of creative practice in fostering equitable recovery from natural disasters, this gathering will illuminate pathways toward systemic change.
The keynote speaker will be Anna Kennedy-Borissow, researcher at University of Melbourne, Australia. A leading voice on the intersection of creative practice and disaster recovery, Kennedy-Borissow brings deep expertise in fostering equitable recovery efforts, drawing from her extensive research on the wildfires that have devastated Australia over the past two decades.
She will be joined by a panel of esteemed local experts, including Karen Mack, founder of L.A. Commons, Leticia Buckley, president and CEO of LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes, and Álvaro D. Márquez, program officer at the California Community Foundation, to explore how Los Angeles can adapt and implement these models to enhance its own recovery initiatives.
Alex M. Johnson, vice president of public affairs at California Wellness Foundation, will deliver the opening remarks and moderate a distinguished plenary panel featuring Changeist CEO Mario Fedelin; California Community Foundation Chief Officer of Policy and Programs Cielo Castro; and Democracy Center Director James E. Herr. They will explore the far-reaching policy impacts on young people and examine how to cultivate meaningful opportunities for them to drive the positive transformation they envision for the nation.
The Smithsonian’s National Conversation on Race is co-presented by the Smithsonian’s Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past Initiative, as part of their National Conversation on Race series. It is sponsored by Bank of America.