Lawmakers Renew Efforts To Open ‘The National Museum Of The American Latino’

A bipartisan group of lawmakers reintroduced a bill to establish the National Museum of the American Latino in Washington, DC.

Senators Bob Menendez (D-N.J.) and John Cornyn (R-Texas), along with US Representatives José Serrano (D-N.Y.), Barbara Lee (D-Calif.), and Texas’ Joaquin Castro (D) and Will Hurd (R) reintroduced the National Museum of the American Latino Act on May 2. The bill would establish a Smithsonian museum at the National Mall that would honor Latino Americans’ heritage and history.

“It’s hard to believe that in the year 2019, a museum devoted to Latino history does not already exist,” Menendez said in a statement. “From day one, Hispanics have shaped this nation in countless ways — as military leaders, as pioneers in business and the arts, as activists and elected officials — all of them committed to the American dream. Our legislation will establish a National Museum of the American Latino right where it belongs, here in our nation’s capital alongside the Native American Museum, the African American Museum, and the Smithsonian’s many other fine institutions.”

The act would create a 19 member board of trustees that would help plan the construction of the museum and assist with the development of the collections displaying the culture and history of American Latinos. It would also establish grants, scholarships, and educational programs for children and adults.