[Congressional Record Volume 166, Number 134 (Wednesday, July 29, 2020)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E699-E700]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN LATINO ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                        HON. SHEILA JACKSON LEE

                                of texas

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 27, 2020

  Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, as an original cosponsor and senior 
member of Democratic congressional delegation from

[[Page E700]]

Texas, the Committee on the Judiciary, I rise in strong and 
enthusiastic support of H.R. 2420, the ``National Museum for the 
American Latino,'' which the newest museum of the Smithsonian 
Institute.
  The United States is a symbol of democracy, freedom, and economic 
opportunity around the world, and the legacy of Latinos is deeply 
rooted in the very fabric of the history, democracy, freedom, and 
economic opportunity of the United States.
  As hard as it is to imagine, currently there exists no national 
museum within the Smithsonian Institution that is devoted to the 
documentation and explication of Latino life, art, history, and 
culture.
  This legislation rectifies this regrettable situation.
  The major purpose of the Museum is to illuminate the story of Latinos 
in the history of the United States for the benefit of all by featuring 
Latino contributions.
  Another important purpose of the museum is to provide for the 
collection, study, research, publication, and establishment of 
exhibitions and programs relating to Latino life, art, history, and 
culture.
  That life, art, history, and culture encompasses Latino contributions 
in the early history of what now encompasses the United States of 
America and its territories.
  Madam Speaker, Latino contributions in the armed services date from 
the earliest days of the American Revolution to current military 
activities in defense of our freedoms.
  The National Museum of the American Latino will also document and 
preserve the history of Latino contributions to the freedom, well-
being, and economic prosperity of all people in the United States 
through historical movements, entrepreneurial and charitable activities 
of Latinos; as well as contributions by Latinos to the social, natural, 
and physical sciences; and art, history, and culture, including food, 
music, dance, film, theater, sports, and other forms of popular culture 
in the United States.
  Finally, the Museum will collaborate with research centers of the 
Smithsonian Institution, and other museums and educational institutions 
throughout the United States and abroad, to promote the study and 
appreciation of Latino life, art, history, culture, and its impact on 
society in the United States.
  Madam Speaker, I am proud that Texas is generally regarded as the 
most Hispanic state in America, and Texas is rich with the history of 
Latinos in America.
  The state of Texas is 39.2 percent Hispanic, which is 22.47 percent 
more Hispanic than it was in 2010, and there are six cities along the 
Texas/Mexico border where the population is effectively 100 percent 
Hispanic, including Hidalgo, Texas.
  The Hispanic population in my home city of Houston is 44 percent; 
corresponding numbers are 42 percent in Dallas, 80 percent in El Paso.
  According to the 2010 census, in Texas, Hispanics accounted for 
nearly half of all births.
  Finally, Madam Speaker, the establishment of the National Museum of 
the American Latino will be consistent with the purposes of the 
Smithsonian Institution, created by Congress in 1846, ``for the 
increase and diffusion of knowledge.''
  I urge all Members to vote for H.R. 2420, the National Museum for the 
American Latino Act.

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