• By Bsrat Mezghebe
• September 22, 2021

Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month

National Hispanic Heritage Month, celebrated from September 15 to October 15, honors the cultures and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans. To celebrate, we’re highlighting the National Museum of the American Latino, a museum that the Smithsonian Institution is currently planning.

While the legislative campaign to create the National Museum of the American Latino was initiated in 2004, Latino scholars and artistic directors long championed for more representation of the community’s diverse heritage and contributions to American history and culture. As Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino (FRIENDS) Board Secretary Luis R. Cancel explained, “The American story cannot be told without the story of Latinos.”

In 1994, the Smithsonian Institution Task Force on Latino Issues found that the institution displayed “a pattern of willful neglect” toward the Latino population in the United States and, along with other suggestions, recommended the establishment of a dedicated museum. The Smithsonian Latino Center was subsequently founded in 1997 to better explore and preserve Latino history and culture throughout the institution.

The legislation to form a 23-member Commission to study the potential creation of the museum was signed into law by President George W. Bush and enacted in 2008 by President Barack Obama. After working with bipartisan Congressional representatives and soliciting feedback from the public through hearings held throughout the country, the Commission produced a feasibility report on the museum’s vision, governance structure, and funding.

After FRIENDS led several legislative attempts, Congress approved the creation of the museum in December 2020, along with the Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum.

The museum's 19-member Board of Trustees has been established. The Board is working to appoint the museum’s founding director and steer the site selection process. Along with other supporters, the Board is also fundraising for the museum’s costs, half of which will come from Congress. NCPC will also play a role in the museum's development. According to the Congressional legislation, NCPC must be consulted on site selection. Additionally, pursuant to the National Capital Planning Act, NCPC is authorized to review the museum building.

In May 2022, the Smithsonian Latino Center will open its first physical museum space, the Molina Family Latino Gallery, at the National Museum of American History. The 4,500-square-foot gallery space will be the first national Latino gallery on the National Mall.

Smithsonian Latino Center FRIENDS