Latinomuseum for Smithsonian put in relief bill

After two decades and multiple efforts to include a National Museum of the American Latino in the Smithsonian Institution, Congress is finally set to vote to build the museum honoring the contributions of Latinos to the United States.

The bill, introduced by Texas Sen. John Cornyn, a Republican, and New Jersey Sen. Robert Menendez, a Democrat, will be included in Congress’ year-end spending package, Cornyn said in a call with Texas reporters Monday.

“Obviously in Texas, with 40% of our population Hispanic, this is a deserving tribute to these Texans and their forebears,” Cornyn said Monday, “but I think it will be an important educational opportunity for all Americans to learn more about the contributions of a very diverse ethnic group of Latinos.”

Hispanic and Latino Americans make up the largest ethnic minority in the United States as 18 percent of the population. As of 2017, Texas had an estimated 11.1million Hispanic and Latino residents, and they are on track to become the state’s largest ethnic population as soon as 2022.

The bill received bipartisan support in the Senate, with 45 cosponsors, including Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, and partner legislation passed the House earlier this year. Cornyn had earlier said he expected the bill to pass the Senate with unanimous consent over a week ago.

But controversy ensued on the

Senate floor, when Utah Sen. Mike Lee, a Republican, argued that the legislation would weaponize diversity and threaten “national unity and cultural inclusion.”

Lee’s objection was enough to prevent the bill from being passed Dec. 10. Congress was expected to vote Monday night on the $2.3 trillion omnibus spending package, which includes the bill to build a Latino museum.

The journey to establish a museum honoring Latino Americans’ contributions to the United States started with a 1994 report entitled “Willful Neglect,” that said Latinos were absent from almost every aspect of the Smithsonian Institution. The first congressional bill to explore the creation of a museum was introduced in 2003.

Passing the bill is just another step to building the museum. It will probably take close to10 years for the facility to formally become part of the Smithsonian’s museum system.

Henry Muñoz, a San Antonio native and Latino activist who helped found the effort to create a Latino museum at the Smithsonian, said building themuseum will help tell a more complete American history.

“It feels like an incredible victory for millions of Latinos living in the United States who have helped to build the culture, the science, the history, the heritage and are building the future of the country,” Muñoz said. “And there’s so many people whose names you may not ever hear or read who have been an important partof the American story. And now, they’ll be able to see themselves in our nation’s museum.”