Latino museum plans moving forward
Last year, a bill authorizing a Latino museum on the National Mall languished and died in U.S. Congress without getting so much as a hearing. This year, however, prospects are looking up.
“We had a rough time finding a window to push the bill in the last Congress. We’re in a much more friendly environment now,” says Estuardo Rodriguez, spokesman for Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, a group of high-powered Latinos who back the museum’s creation.
Last month, bipartisan legislation was reintroduced in both the U.S. Senate and the House of Representatives that would authorize the Smithsonian to move forward with planning and fundraising for the National Museum of American Latinos. If built, the museum’s location would be the Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall.
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Rodriguez says the new bill has attracted a surprising amount of Republican support in contrast to the reception received during the 112th Congress last year when museum backers couldn’t even rally enough Republicans to get the measure included in an omnibus bill.
“We’re excited that the environment is a little better now. Since the elections there are so many opportunities,” says Rodriguez referring to President Obama’s reelection last fall, in which Latino voters proved pivotal.
As of April 11, the Senate bill, sponsored by New Jersey Democrat, Sen. Robert “Bob” Menéndez, had 10 co-sponsors, three of them Republican, while the House version, sponsored by Rep. Xavier Becerra [D-CA34], had one co-sponsor, Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R-FL27], according to the GovTrack.us website.
A museum that would showcase “the contributions of American Latinos and focus on their art, history and culture,” has widespread support in Latino communities across the country. Hollywood stars such as Eva Longoria, Wilmer Valderrama and Rosario Dawson are also vocal supporters.
However, critics also exist. Among the arguments against the museum are concerns about the cost, overcrowding on the National Mall, and the belief that it could encourage cultural isolationism.
Nevertheless, a federal commission endorsed the museum plans in 2011, after three years of consulting the public and studying fundraising options. In its report, the federal commission estimated the project would cost $600 million, half to come from private donors. Within six months, another group of bipartisan lawmakers introduced a bill that would have authorized the Smithsonian to move forward with planning and fundraising.
While that bill languished, this time around, Rodriguez says, Congress could take up the measure before its summer recess.
Passage, however, is only one step in a long journey ahead. It’s expected to take about a decade to complete construction and establish an endowment for the new museum.
– By Aurelia Ortiz
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