Museums & Censorship: Dispatches from an Urgent Conversation

February 28, 2026 News

Last week, I had the privilege of joining a panel titled How Do Museums Resist Censorship?, co-presented by Zócalo Public Square, the Japanese American National Museum (JANM), and the Museum of Contemporary Art (MOCA) at the historic Herald Examiner Building in downtown Los Angeles. It was a wonderful turnout, with a few hundred people joining us in person and several hundred more tuning in via livestream from around the world. It was a rich and timely conversation, and I left feeling both clear-eyed about the challenges ahead and genuinely hopeful about what’s possible when institutions stand together.

The discussion was moderated by Elizabeth Larison, Director of the Arts and Culture Advocacy Program at the National Coalition Against Censorship, and brought together Ann Burroughs, President and CEO of JANM, and Hamza Walker, Director of The Brick and co-curator of the MONUMENTS exhibition in LA. Together, we explored what it means for museums to hold the line on their values at a moment when federal funding is being weaponized and the pressure to self-censor is real.

My core message was simple: museums are among the most trusted institutions in America, and that trust is worth fighting for. We are places of learning and healthy discourse, and that matters enormously right now. However, trust isn’t passive. It requires action. As I said on the panel, looking at history, not taking action is often the thing that causes the most harm.

I also believe deeply that we are stronger together. Across the country, museums, libraries, and cultural institutions are asking how they can collaborate more intentionally. The answer is: as much as possible. We have more muscle when we move as a community, and civic society needs us to show up that way.

If you weren’t able to attend, I encourage you to read the full recap over via Zócalo Public Square. The conversation is one worth having, and I’m grateful to have been part of it.

Panelists Elizabeth Larison, Devon Akmon, Hamza Walker, and Ann Burroughs pose together after the 'How Do Museums Resist Censorship?' event at the historic Herald Examiner Building in Los Angeles, with the Zócalo Public Square, ASU, JANM, and MOCA logos displayed behind them.
Photo by Mario de Lopez and courtesy of Zócalo Public Square.
Devon Akmon speaks into a microphone during the 'How Do Museums Resist Censorship?' panel at the historic Herald Examiner Building in Los Angeles, with fellow panelists Hamza Walker and Ann Burroughs seated alongside moderator Elizabeth Larison, against a backdrop displaying logos for Zócalo Public Square, JANM, MOCA, and ASU.
Photo by Mario de Lopez and courtesy of Zócalo Public Square.
A packed audience watches the 'How Do Museums Resist Censorship?' panel at the historic Herald Examiner Building in downtown Los Angeles, co-presented by Zócalo Public Square, the Japanese American National Museum, and the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Photo by Mario de Lopez and courtesy of Zócalo Public Square.
Event poster for 'How Do Museums Resist Censorship?', an L.A. Art Week panel held on February 23, 2026 from 7:30–9:30 PM at the Herald Examiner Building, 1111 S Broadway, Los Angeles. The poster features headshots and titles for panelists Elizabeth Larison, Director of the Arts and Culture Advocacy Program at the National Coalition Against Censorship; Devon Akmon, Director of the Michigan State University Museum and Chair of the Board of the American Alliance of Museums; Ann Burroughs, President and CEO of the Japanese American National Museum; and Hamza Walker, Director of The Brick and Co-Curator of MONUMENTS. The poster also features an image of Kara Walker's sculpture 'Unmanned Drone' (2023), made from bronze parts of an equestrian statue of Confederate General Stonewall Jackson. Co-presented by Zócalo Public Square, ASU, JANM, and MOCA.