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Week 03: January 15-January 21, 2019

BOARD OF ADVISORS / DIRECTORS: AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS LAUNCHES NATIONAL INITIATIVE FOR MUSEUM BOARD DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

(ARLINGTON, January 15, 2019) The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) has received $4 million in grants from the Ford Foundation, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, and Alice L. Walton Foundation to fund the framework, training, as well as, resources of board diversity / inclusion. The goal is to build inclusive museum cultures that reflect the communities they serve.

"To make real and lasting change, work needs to be done at the top where the tone and priorities for each museum are established," said Laura Lott, president and CEO of the Alliance. "Museum trustees and leaders can and must do more. Complementing the hard work and investments being made to diversify the talent pool, programming, and collections of museums, AAM aims to drive long-lasting systemic culture change. Thanks to the leadership, courage, and generosity of our three partner foundations, we will work steadfastly to sharpen the focus on museum boards and directors as agents of this vital change."

AAM and BoardSource found in a study that 46% of boards are entirely white, while 77% of museum directors want racial / ethnic diversity; yet, 10% of museum boards have a plan of action to be more inclusive. Leadership engagement in diversity will include (1) standards / programs to advance diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion, (2) leadership development for 50 museums in 5 cities with senior fellows developing inclusion plans for each, (3) online inclusive museum governance resource for thousands of museums, as well as, (4) board matching to connect individuals to serve on museum boards.

"Museums present art, ideas, and history that serve as a window into our humanity and culture," said Margaret Morton, director of the Creativity and Free Expression program at the Ford Foundation. "We welcome this partnership and the opportunity for museums and their leaders to more fully reflect the broad range of identities and diverse stakeholders across all communities and people."

SOURCE: American Alliance of Museums

ENTERTAINMENT: WARNER BROS. PICTURES EXTENDS MULTI-PICTURE SCREENX DEAL FOR SIX FILMS IN 2019

(LOS ANGELES, January 15, 2019) The 270-degree ScreenX format will be experienced by audiences for 'Shazam!' (April 5th), 'The Curse of La Llorona' (April 19th), 'Godzilla: King of the Monsters' (May 31st), and three more films by Warner Bros. Pictures. CJ 4DPLEX is the company behind the cinema technology showcasing a panoramic movie watching experience to the side of the walls making you feel inside the movie. This agreement builds on the ScreenX successes of 'Aquaman,' 'Rampage,' 'The Meg,' 'The Nun,' and 'Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald.' ScreenX has grown to 200 auditoriums (30% increase) and will double, due to expansion plans with Cineworld Group as it is opening 100 locations within the United States, as well as, Europe.

SOURCE: CJ 4DPLEX

MUSIC: 27TH ANNUAL ASCAP LATIN MUSIC AWARDS TO BE HELD IN SAN JUAN, PUERTO RICO

(NEW YORK, January 16, 2019) The American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) honors Milly Quezada with ASCAP Latin Heritage Award, and Draco Rosa with ASCAP Vanguard Award on March 5th, 2019 in San Juan, Puerto Rico.


 

ASCAP Logo (PRNewsfoto/ASCAP)
The ASCAP Latin Heritage Award is presented to music creators in recognition of their unique and enduring contributions to Latin music. Past recipients include: Alejandro Sanz, Franco de Vita, Armando Manzanero, Ricardo Arjona, Ednita Nazario, Olga Tañón, Gilberto Santa Rosa, The Fania All-Stars and Celia Cruz, among others.

The ASCAP Vanguard Award recognizes the impact of musical genres that help shape the future of American music. Other ASCAP Vanguard Award honorees include: Eduardo Cabra aka Visitante, Vico C, Kendrick Lamar, Beastie Boys, Taio Cruz, Diplo, Janelle Monáe, Santigold, Dua Lipa, St. Vincent, The Arcade Fire, The Strokes, Beck and Björk.

At the invitation-only dinner ASCAP will also recognize the 50 most performed Latin songs and the music of the most watched Latin TV programs of 2018. In addition, awards will be presented for Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Songwriter-Artist of the Year, Publisher of the Year and Independent Publisher of the Year.

SOURCE: ASCAP

HUMAN RIGHTS: ACLU SUES FEDERAL GOVERNMENT FOR SOCIAL MEDIA SURVEILLANCE RECORDS

(NEW YORK, January 17, 2019) The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) along with ACLU of Northern California sued the federal government to obtain information regarding its social media surveillance practices in monitoring immigrants / visa applicants under president Trump's "extreme vetting" initiative. The lawsuit was filed in federal district court within the Northern District of California against the Department of Justice, FBI, Department of Homeland Security, ICE, U.S. Customs and Border Protection, U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, and the State Department.

ACLU says government surveillance of social media use and free speech risks censorship online that can "lead to the disproportionate targeting of racial and religious minority communities, and those who dissent against government policies.” ACLU's lawsuit seeks release of each agency guidelines / policies governing social media surveillance, communications with businesses / social media platforms, monitoring tools, etc.

“Social media surveillance has become a major priority for the federal government in recent years,” said Hugh Handeyside, senior staff attorney with the ACLU’s National Security Project. “The public has a right to know how the federal government monitors social media users and speech, whether agencies are retaining social media content, and whether the government is using surveillance products to label activists and people of color as threats to public safety based on their First Amendment-protected conduct.”

The lawsuit was filed under the Freedom of Information Act after all seven agencies failed to produce records in response to a FOIA request filed last year. The FBI further stated that it “can neither confirm nor deny the existence of records responsive to [the ACLU’s] request.” The State Department also announced last year plans to require nearly all of the 14.7 million people who annually apply for work or tourist visas to submit social media identifiers they have used in the past five years in order to travel or immigrate to the United States.

SOURCE: ACLU