Congress OKs Legislation to Create National Latino Museum

Congress approved on Monday the creation of a national Latino museum as part of the $900 billion COVID-19 relief bill.

It would be created alongside a Smithsonian museum for women's history, said a report from USA Today.

Sen. Bob Menendez, one of the Congress' advocates for the Latino museum, said in an NBC News report that there were "tremendous obstacles and unbelievable hurdles" to get to the historic moment.

"But as I've said before, Latinos are used to overcoming obstacles," he said. Menendez and Texas's Sen. John Cornyn filed the Latino museum proposal to Congress together.

Menendez said he was "enormously proud" of the role he played in getting the legislation approved. He also expressed excitement for the day when his family could visit the museum in the nation's capital.

Rep. Joaquin Castro of Texas, chair of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, also recognized the Latino community's contributions to the U.S.'s envelopment despite systemic discrimination.

"Now, our stories will have a new home with a Latino Museum on the National Mall," said Castro.

The proposal was initially blocked this month, as did the women's museum legislation. Sen. Mike Lee said at the time that having separate but equal museums would create further segregation in an already divided nation.

Funding for Latino Museum Likely to Get White House Approval

President Donald Trump would first have to veto all of the government funding, which includes support to avoid a government shutdown, in order to stop the Latino and women's museums from materializing.

Estuardo Rodriguez, president of Friends of the American Latino Museum, told NPR that with Latinos basically being in the frontlines during the pandemic, funding for the museum appeared to be fitting.

"Latinos and Latinas have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, suffering high rates of infection and death," he said, adding that the museum would not only honor their contributions before but also the sacrifices they made this year.

There are about 60 million Latinos in the U.S. today, making up some 18.5 percent of the country's overall population and is the country's second-largest ethnic minority group.

Latino Museum Was A Decades-Long Battle

For decades, supporters of the bill tried to get Congress' stamp of approval for the museum. Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer called the museum's approval a "long-overdue victory for all Americans."

The last Smithsonian museum to be approved by Congress was the National Museum of African American History and Culture in 2003.

Latino Museum Will Not Portray Single Political Ideology

According to USA Today, the museum would be made by splitting private donations and public funds.

A report from Congress in 2011 said the 310,000-square feet Latino museum would cost about $600,000, and the women's museum would cost about $375,000 million over a size estimate of 350,000 square feet.

The bill said it would not portray a single political ideology in exhibits and artifacts as it also reflects the Latino experience.

It will also create a council and board of trustees to make recommendations to the Smithsonian Board of Regents for the museum's design, location, and construction.