Ken Salazar Endorses National Latino Museum

U.S. Interior Secretary Kenneth Salazar gestures after a news conference in Boston, Tuesday, April 19, 2011. A federal agency approved a construction and operations plan for the Cape Wind project off the Massachusetts coast, clearing the way for work to begin on America's first offshore wind farm as early as this fall, which was announced by Salazar. At left is Massachusetts Secretary of Energy and Environmental Affairs Richard Sullivan, and at right is Cape Wind Associates Vice President Dennis Duffy. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)

Interior Secretary Ken Salazar is on board for the creation of a national museum devoted to American Latino art, history and culture – now it's up to Congress.

Salazar throw his support behind the museum, which would be created next to the Capitol and would be part of the Smithsonian Institution, as a federal commission was scheduled to submit its report to Congress.

He said such a building on the Capitol's grounds would be in keeping with the National Park Service's plan for the National Mall, which calls for overhauling the nearby Capitol reflecting pool as a civic square.

Many contributions of the nation's Latinos, dating back to before the nation's founding, have never been recognized, and they deserve a space on the National Mall among the nation's top cultural attractions, Salazar said.

"My own view is America's strength in the future is dependent upon America being inclusive of all of its people," he said. "In the United States today, we have about 50 million-plus Americans who are of Latino descent."

A copy of the commission's report obtained by the AP said the museum would represent Latinos where their heritage has been absent at the Smithsonian.

"The mall, more than any other public space in our country does indeed tell the story of America, and yet that story is not complete," wrote commission chairman Henry R. Muñoz III.

A 1994 Smithsonian report entitled "Willful Neglect" found U.S. Hispanics were the only major contributor to American civilization not permanently recognized at the museum complex.

The Latino museum would join the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian and its planned National Museum of African American History and Culture, slated to open in four years. There has been some hesitance in Congress to add more ethnic museums for fear that they could appeal to segregated audiences.

The commission tried to head off such arguments from the start.

"This is not a museum for Latinos. This is a museum that more fully describes what the American story is," Muñoz said in an interview. "The historical myth of the United States begins with 1776 and the Mayflower, totally ignoring the fact that we were here well before then and have been contributors to the development of this country in every single way."

Muñoz said he envisions a lively, interactive space with performances and perhaps a plaza that allows programs to spill out onto the Capitol grounds.

The commission voted unanimously to recommend the Capitol site over others. It would fall outside an area where Congress has banned any new construction on the mall, officials said.

The report lays out a case for retracing 500 years of Latino history with roots in Europe, Africa, Asia and from indigenous people. It notes Spanish explorers were first to land in Florida decades before English settlers founded Jamestown, and they created outposts that eventually led to the founding of San Francisco and Santa Fe, N.M. It details Latinos' contributions to the military, the economy and the arts.

At the same time, many groups want to add museums on the National Mall, including efforts to recognize women's history, gay history and the history of immigration.

"The history of all peoples has got to be told across America," Salazar said, but the Latino museum proposal was a "definitive plan that addresses the history of 1/6 of the population," he said.

"We can't deal with the whole world right now, but I think the time is now to do something like this."

Federal budget constraints could be the biggest hurdle. The commission's report calls for building a $600 million museum with Congress providing half the funds and private donations covering the remainder.

Salazar, one of the highest ranking Hispanics in government, pledged to help raise millions of dollars to privately fund the museum's construction — and, if necessary, more than half the cost. He previously advocated for the project as a U.S. Senator.

President George W. Bush signed legislation establishing the Latino museum commission in 2008, and President Barack Obama, along with congressional leaders, appointed a 23-member commission. It includes Eva Longoria from TV's "Desperate Housewives," producer Emilio Estefan and others for their expertise in museums, fundraising and Latino culture.

Based on reporting by The Associated Press.