Dozens took to Capitol Hill to press for passage of the National Museum of the American Latino Act on the 7th anniversary of the National Museum of the American Latino Commission Report “To Illuminate the American Story for All”

Contact: Kara Watkins, kwatkins@rabengroup.com, 847-594-2294

(Washington, DC) Members of the Board of the Friends of the American Latino Museum, Chairman’s Advisory Council Members, former Commissioners, and national partners concluded two days of meetings with Congressional Officials and the Office of the Vice President of the United States seeking passage of the National Museum of the American Latino Act, S. 1364 / H.R. 2911, legislation that will authorize the establishment of a Smithsonian Museum dedicated to the impact of American Latino history, art, culture and life on society in the United States.

Advocacy day participants came from all over the nation, representing private business, national non-profit and the arts to emphasize the importance of the legislation that would start the process of securing a location on the National Mall for the site. This week’s efforts also commemorate the seventh anniversary of the bipartisan Commission to Study the Potential Creation of the National Museum of the American Latino. Released in 2011, the report articulates the urgency for a museum located on the National Mall in Washington, D.C. as part of the Smithsonian Institution. The current bill was introduced in June 2017 and has strong bipartisan support including Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (FL-27), Rep. Jose Serrano (NY-x), Senator Bob Menendez (D-NJ), Senator John Cornyn (R-TX) and many more.

“The Latino story is the American story and vice versa. Our American history lives in our Smithsonian Institution, therefore it is only fitting the Smithsonian serve as the home for a museum commemorating the contributions of American Latinos throughout our nation’s history,” said Danny Vargas, Chairman of Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, the non-profit that has advocated for the museum for more than a decade. “This museum will enable a more complete and accurate telling of American history, which includes crucial yet lesser known stories of innovation, patriotism, heroism and inspirational diligence that played invaluable roles in the making of our great country. Our bipartisan and national support shows that honoring these contributions serves a vital purpose to remember, enlighten and inspire. The Smithsonian National American Latino Museum will make all Americans proud and allow us to learn more about our national heritage.”

An inextricable part of our nation’s heritage, a Smithsonian National American Latino Museum ensures a more complete account of our American history. Attendees of the advocacy campaign are committed to passage in 2018.

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The Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino strives to create a museum in our nation’s capital to educate, inspire and encourage respect and understanding of the richness and diversity of the American Latino experience within the U.S. and its territories by highlighting the contributions made by Latino leaders, pioneers and communities to the American way of life. https://americanlatinomuseum.org/