An effort to establish an American Latino Smithsonian Museum on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., is picking up steam.
Last week, board members from the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, Chairman’s Advisory Council Members and former Commissioners met with the Vice President’s Office and Congressional officials to discuss the passing of the bill, National Museum of the American Latino Act. The legislation would authorize establishment of the museum.
The museum would focus on how Latino culture and history have impacted United States society, according to the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, an organization that is spearheading the initiative. With the meetings last week, the legislation has gained more traction and signatures.
“The impact [of the museum] would be one of a very central part of our effort to reposition the Latino population as a foundational culture in the United States,” said Dr. Gilberto Cárdenas, director of the Notre Dame Center for Arts and Culture and an expert on Latino culture and heritage. “By collecting, preserving and displaying Latino art past and present, it’ll show not only Americans but the whole world that the United States is a Latino nation, too, in terms of its origins and foundations. Our culture has been dismissed as a foreign culture for many years.”
Since the creation of the bill in June 2017, there have been mixed reviews from both the Senate and the House side. However, Estuardo Rodriguez, executive director of the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, said he believes that creation of the museum will provide an educational opportunity to learn more about Latino communities.
“There are stories that we don’t talk about enough in our classrooms,” said Rodriguez. “So if we can’t even get into the curriculum at most middle schools and high schools, at the very least, our National Mall should set the foundation for the full American history. I think it would have a great impact and be a place for people to come together and feel proud.”
Though the bill was created last year, the legislation to study the viability of the museum started back in 2005, with U.S. Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen R-Fla., who is set to retire this year, as a co-sponsor. The legislation passed in 2008 and the Commission Report was introduced to Congress and the Obama White House in 2011, according to Rodriguez.
