Washington DC’s National Mall is not the National Mall without the dozen or so Smithsonian museums that line the streets on either side. The National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, and the National Museum of American History tell the stories and contributions of the groups that have helped build this nation. But there is one museum still missing: none, so far, are dedicated to the American Latinos who have been an integral part of this country from its birth.
But, after a decades-long battle, this may soon change. On July 27th, the U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation to create the long-waited for National Museum of the American Latino. The bill, which counted with wide support from both sides of the aisle, was co-sponsored by an impressive 295 representatives.
So what’s next to make the museum a reality? The bill’s counterpart, S. 1267, has to be approved by the Senate. But supporters are hopeful: the Senate bill, introduced by Senators Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and John Cornyn (R-TX) already has over 40 bipartisan co-sponsors. Senator Cornyn, former Majority Whip, is optimistic the bill will pass.
Once the bill is passed in the Senate, it must be signed by the President, and the funds to build the museum need to be raised. It is estimated the museum will cost $600 million. As laid out in the House bill, it will be half federally-funded and the other half will be covered by private sources and donations. The bill instituted an 18-mont timeline to determine a potential location and called for the creation of a Board of Trustees to guide exploratory efforts.
Additionally, the House bill established educational programs to be centered on Latino representation in the United States as well as a grant program to kick-start similar projects outside of Washington DC. Over 50.5 million Americans of Latino descent live in the United States, representing more than 16% of the total population. It is estimated that by 2050, Latinos will make up 25% of the total population. The building of the Smithsonian museum is crucial “to tell the stories of the American Latino community, and ensure that those stories have a permanent home for every American to better understand the diversity that exists at the root of our founding,” according to the Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino organization.
Upon the passage of the bill in the House, Chairman of the FRIENDS Board Danny Vargas expressed his pleasure: it is a “wonderful feeling to know that the House of Representatives has come to realize the importance of an institution that can recognize and commemorate the over 500 years of Latino contributions to the founding, shaping, building, and the defending of this country. We’re elated,” he said.
The passage of the American Latino Museum is decades in the making. Efforts began in 1994, when the Smithsonian itself released a 60-page report titled “Willful Neglect: The Smithsonian Institution and U.S. Latinos” recognizing the lack of Latino representation within the institution, and calling for the creation of the museum as a potential method to rectify the underrepresentation. In 2008, a commission was formed to explore the creation of such a museum. The results were delivered in 2011, but until last month, no legislation had been adopted for its passage.
One of the original supporters of the museum has been former Florida Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen. In 1989, she became the first Latina ever elected to Congress. “You can’t have a real portrait of American unless you have a museum of the American Latino,” Ros-Lehtinen has said. Though she recognizes that passing the bill in the Senate amid the coronavirus pandemic might be a challenge, “it’s going to happen,” she affirmed.
Photo: Smithsonian