February 2026 E-News | Member Edition

Celebrate Black History Month with a Self-Guided Tour at the California Museum

This February, celebrate Black History Month at the California Museum! With curated tour stops across our signature and temporary exhibits, you'll discover the lasting impact of Black history in the Golden State. Use the self-guided tour map to follow along and get to know trailblazing individuals such as RuPaul Andre Charles, Betty Reid Soskin, Serena Williams and more!

This tour is designed for visitors of all ages to explore the Museum at their own pace using a digital or printed map (available at the Visitor Services desk at the Museum).

Kokoro: The Story of Sacramento’s Lost Japantown is on View Through March 29, 2026

Experience the story of a once-thriving downtown community devastated by forced removal during WWII and again by redevelopment in the 1950s. Walk through the history and heart of this vanished Sacramento neighborhood and discover a vital chapter of our city’s past through rare photographs and artifacts from family collections.

Exploring Sacramento's Lost Japantown 

Member-Only Walking Tours

Saturday, March 28, 2026

Tour 1: 11:00 AM - 12:30 PM | Tour 2: 1:30 PM - 3:00 PM

Back by popular demand! A new date has been added for member-exclusive tours of Sacramento’s Lost Japantown. In conjunction with the return of Kokoro, Preservation Sacramento president and local historian William Burg will lead two free member-exclusive walking tours, offering members of both organizations an opportunity to discover a vital chapter of Sacramento’s history. Each 90-minute tour explores the history of Sacramento's former eight-block Japantown, which once housed over 200 Japanese American homes, businesses and organizations before its mid-century destruction.

Use the promo code CAMMEMBER26 at checkout to unlock your tickets.

Northern California Time of Remembrance (NCTOR): Preserving History
Saturday, February 14 | 1:00 - 3:00 pm

Join us at the Museum on Saturday, February 14 for the Northern California Time of Remembrance event, presented by local JACL chapters.

This year’s event, “Preserving History,” features Naomi Ostwald Kawamura, executive director of Densho, a Seattle-based nonprofit and digital archive that preserves and shares the history of Japanese American wartime incarceration to promote equity and justice today. Also presenting is Duncan Ryūken Williams, the founder of the Ireichō Project, a national monument that will be onsite at the Museum during the program.

Newsroom

ABC10: Japanese American incarceration survivors share stories at Sacramento museum
January 17, 2026

READ MORE

EVENT RECAP

Behind Barbed Wire: A Time of Remembrance Event

Thank you to everyone who attended Behind Barbed Wire: A Time of Remembrance Event on Saturday, January 17, 2026. This sold-out event marked the first time an adaptation of our powerful Time of Remembrance field trip program was made available to visitors of all ages.

Attendees experienced personal stories from Japanese American incarceration camp survivors and their descendants, a guided tour of our award-winning "Uprooted: An American Story" exhibit, and a seminar presentation on life before, during & after incarceration.

Weren't able to attend? Stop by the Museum during regular hours to explore "Uprooted," and stay tuned for future event announcements!

Museum Updates

California Museum Executive Director Amanda Meeker Set to Retire


California Museum Executive Director Amanda Meeker announced that she will retire in the summer of 2026, after more than a decade in the role and 28 years of service to the Museum. A respected cultural leader, Meeker has dedicated her career to advancing the Museum’s mission to educate people about California’s rich history, diversity, and culture.

Time of Remembrance Has Begun


Over the next two months, our education team and dedicated volunteers will welcome students to explore a critical chapter of history: the wrongful incarceration of Japanese Americans during WWII. Through this experience, students learn the importance of standing up for their own rights and the rights of others.

Interested in learning more about the mass incarceration during WWII? Stop by the Museum to explore "Uprooted," and don't forget to check out "Kokoro" while you are here.

Now Booking Spring 2026 Field Trips

Ideal for 2nd – 12th grade classes, all programs explore the state’s history, arts and culture from diverse perspectives, increasing empathy, tolerance and critical thinking skills for students.

Choose from seven unique learning experiences aligned with History-Social Science, Common Core ELA, Civics outcomes and Ethnic Studies highlighting a range of California topics.

Plan Your Next Visit

The Museum is open Tuesday - Saturday from 10 am to 5 pm

and Sunday from 12 pm to 5 pm.

Admission for Museum members is always free!

...and in between visits, be sure to check out our online exhibits!

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