On Wednesday, May 22, a group of Wing Luke Museum staff walked out in response to the WLM Executive Leadership's inability to meet our demands regarding the platforming of Zionist ideology in the new Confronting Hate Together exhibit. The demands are as follows:

1. Remove any language in any WLM publication and question any partnerships that attempt to frame Palestinian liberation and anti-Zionism as antisemitism.
2. Acknowledge the limited perspectives presented in this exhibition. Missing perspectives include those of Palestinians, Arabs, and Muslim communities who are also experiencing an increased amount of violence, scapegoating, and demonization as Zionist forces continue the genocide in Palestine.
3. Require Community Advisory Committee (CAC) review of all pop-up exhibits including a community review of the revised Confronting Hate Together exhibit content.
4. Center voices and perspectives that align with the museum’s mission & values by platforming community stories within an anti-colonial, anti-white supremacist framework.

Why does this matter to us?

What is happening in Palestine directly reflects violent colonization and imperialism that has and continues to impact Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander (AA/NHPI) diaspora for generations. Our Museum’s exhibits, education, and programs have brought together communities, shared hard histories and conversations, and helped create joy and light among the darkness of what AA/NHPI diaspora often feel and experience. Zionism has no place in our communities and being anti-Zionist goes hand in hand with our own liberation as AA/NHPI. Our solidarity with Palestine should be reflected in our AA/NHPI institutions.

White supremacy, colonialism, and imperialism are wide, interconnected systems of power that each of us either uphold or actively work to dismantle. Every day we aim for the work we do at the Museum to be a space to provide tools, conversations, and inspiration in fostering connected learning in our collective struggles and solidarity with AA/NHPI and beyond, and our mission in doing so shouldn’t stop with just our immediate communities.

We invite you to send a letter to the Wing Luke Museum's Executive Leadership to show your support for our cause and to emphasize the significant negative impact that platforming Zionist ideology has on our communities and the Wing Luke Museum's credibility as a museum representing marginalized communities.