In a unanimous bipartisan vote on Tuesday morning, the House approved legislation to create a national Latinx museum in Washington, DC. The Smithsonian Institution-affiliated museum would, according to the bill, “illuminate Latino contributions to the story of the United States.”
The National Museum of the American Latino Act (H.R. 2420) was introduced last year by Representative José Serrano, a Democrat from New York, and drew 295 co-sponsors. Its origins, however, reach back nearly 20 years: in 2003, former representatives Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Xavier Becerra proposed creating a 23-member commission to study whether such a museum could become a reality. That task force completed its work in 2011 and delivered a detailed report to then-President Barack Obama.
In its research, the commission found that a “great wealth” of historical, cultural, and artistic materials connected to Latinx contributions already exists at major institutions including the Smithsonian and the Library of Congress. Even so, the report noted that “most museum directors think their collections are only the tip of the iceberg.” “Most institutions have rich collections in Mexican, Puerto Rican, and Cuban art, but there are many gaps that will need to be filled,” the report said.
Although Latinx people make up the nation’s second-largest racial or ethnic group after white non-Hispanics, this would be the first Smithsonian museum devoted specifically to their history and culture. In 2018, the Smithsonian announced its first gallery focused on Latinx experiences in the US, the 4,500-square-foot Molina Family Latino Gallery, scheduled to open in 2022 on the first floor of the National Museum of American History. While the news was welcomed, many saw it as only an initial step. Author Julissa Arce, for example, noted that the National Air and Space Museum is about 161,000 square feet, writing, “We need and deserve a museum of our own.”
“This long-overdue legislation will celebrate the contributions of generations of Latinos, acknowledging this truth: that Latino history is American history,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said. “And as it celebrates the past, this legislation will inspire the future, ensuring that the tens of millions of visitors to our nation’s capital each year can learn the full story of America.” Supporters are now using the hashtag #LatinoMuseumNow to press senators to approve S.1267, while prominent Latinx figures including actress Eva Longoria, who served on the feasibility commission, have backed the effort alongside the nonprofit Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino.
If the Senate gives its approval, the bill would create a board of trustees to oversee the Smithsonian’s development of the museum. It would also allow for a 50% federal match of privately raised funds for design and construction, and provide grants to support the development of Latinx museums nationwide.
