Every single day, communities lose pieces of their soul when the institutions built to protect their heritage quietly vanish. While iconic, city-funded Los Angeles landmarks like the La Brea Tar Pits and the Natural History Museum enjoy secure financial futures, unique independent treasures are left to fight for survival entirely on their own. Today, the Martial Arts History Museum in Glendale issues a heartfelt appeal to the public as it launches a critical $5 million campaign to help continue its journey moving forward.
The museum's core mission goes far beyond showcasing stunning artifacts designed by a Disney artist; it serves as a vital sanctuary for stories that cannot be allowed to die. It is an educational haven that teaches the world about the immense, positive contributions of the Asian American community and the profound cross-cultural impact of martial arts in the West. If we allow independent institutions like this to crumble, we are actively letting go of the profound sacrifices made by those who came before us.
To let this museum stall is to permanently silence a number of memories of the historic 442nd American Japanese military regiment, and to erase the devastating yet resilient stories of how martial arts preserved dignity and hope inside Japanese Internment camps. It means letting the world forget the heroism of Filipino Kali icon Jack Santos, who stood fearlessly alone before an angry, swelling crowd with just two sticks in his hands, to stop them from destroying Little Tokyo as the war with Japan broke out. It means abandoning the legacy of a young Latino man, Benny Urquidez, from the barrio who overcame the heavy gravity of gang influence to transform into one of the greatest world champions of all time. These are not just exhibits; they are a testament to the human spirit, and they will be entirely lost if we stand by and do nothing.
To ensure these vital pieces of cultural history survive for future generations, the museum has launched a GoFundMe crowdfunding site as the initial step toward its incremental $5 million fundraising goal. This campaign is a direct invitation to look closely at what is at stake and take action before it is too late. Keeping history alive requires more than appreciation; it demands active community guardianship to help us keep moving forward.
“History, the internment camps, the 442nd, the heavy pressure of Asian-Hate in America - all these items are addressed in the museum through our rotating exhibits,” says Michael Matsuda, museum president. “These are important, heavy facts that we now have a precious opportunity to educate others about. The martial arts serves as our connection, our common denominator across so many diverse cultures. But the simple, painful truth is that we can only continue forward with your financial support.”
Donations of any size can be made to the museum's official crowdfunding page or directly to the museum at MAmuseum.com, where every contribution goes directly toward sustaining rotating exhibits, funding educational outreach, and keeping the doors open. We owe it to the generations before us, and the children ahead of us, to ensure this invaluable light is kept moving forward.
