1 00:00:00,920 --> 00:00:04,000 Speaker 1: This is Latino USA, the Radio Journal of News and 2 00:00:04,160 --> 00:00:07,480 Speaker 1: Kurtur Latino US Latin Latino USA. 3 00:00:07,760 --> 00:00:08,880 Speaker 2: I'm Maria Inojosa. 4 00:00:09,240 --> 00:00:12,560 Speaker 1: We bring you stories that are underreported but that mattered 5 00:00:12,600 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: to you, overlooked by the rest of the media, and 6 00:00:14,760 --> 00:00:16,920 Speaker 1: while the country is struggling to deal with these, we 7 00:00:16,960 --> 00:00:19,960 Speaker 1: listen to the stories of Black and Latino Studios United 8 00:00:20,079 --> 00:00:24,920 Speaker 1: Latino Front, a cultural renaissance organizing at the forefront of 9 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 1: the movement. I'm Maria Ino Jossa. No dear Latino USA listener, 10 00:00:32,640 --> 00:00:37,920 Speaker 1: I hope you're well. Here's a show from the archives. 11 00:00:38,720 --> 00:00:40,640 Speaker 3: I think someone we know isn't here. 12 00:00:40,680 --> 00:00:42,920 Speaker 2: Oh yeah, and we know this person, I think pretty well. 13 00:00:43,560 --> 00:00:47,600 Speaker 2: It's a Wednesday morning in June. The Smithsonian's National Museum 14 00:00:47,640 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 2: of American History in Washington, d C. Is mostly empty 15 00:00:51,520 --> 00:00:54,440 Speaker 2: right now. Its stores won't open to the public for 16 00:00:54,480 --> 00:00:58,040 Speaker 2: another hour and a half. But my colleague Alejandra Salasada 17 00:00:58,080 --> 00:01:01,640 Speaker 2: and I cut early access today, so we're here, and 18 00:01:02,040 --> 00:01:05,959 Speaker 2: so is our boss. Well kind of yeah, that's Maria. 19 00:01:06,000 --> 00:01:09,520 Speaker 2: That's like fun. She's standing there with hoop earrings and 20 00:01:09,560 --> 00:01:10,400 Speaker 2: her red lipstick. 21 00:01:11,680 --> 00:01:15,480 Speaker 3: Okay, so she isn't actually here here, but she's on 22 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:17,720 Speaker 3: a screen in front of us, dressed in a black 23 00:01:17,800 --> 00:01:21,800 Speaker 3: jump student heels, welcoming us to a groundbreaking new exhibition 24 00:01:22,000 --> 00:01:25,520 Speaker 3: called Presente a Latino History of the United States. 25 00:01:25,800 --> 00:01:26,319 Speaker 2: And now I'm. 26 00:01:26,240 --> 00:01:29,080 Speaker 3: Standing here with Ray, my colleague. You just heard from 27 00:01:29,280 --> 00:01:32,560 Speaker 3: Renaldo Lanos Junior, and we're face to face with a 28 00:01:32,600 --> 00:01:34,800 Speaker 3: life size video of Maria no Josa. 29 00:01:35,760 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 2: Hi, Maria, Hey, Maria, Maria. It's one of about a 30 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:43,240 Speaker 2: dozen Latinos and Latinas featured in this exhibition for their 31 00:01:43,319 --> 00:01:45,160 Speaker 2: work in the Latino community. 32 00:01:45,319 --> 00:01:46,600 Speaker 4: I'm the executive. 33 00:01:48,960 --> 00:01:50,920 Speaker 2: She pops up on screens in the center of the 34 00:01:50,960 --> 00:01:55,480 Speaker 2: gallery space, along with others a nurse, an immigration activist, 35 00:01:55,720 --> 00:01:57,080 Speaker 2: other journalists like her. 36 00:01:57,840 --> 00:02:01,000 Speaker 3: It's kind of funny. We usually don't have Maria watching 37 00:02:01,080 --> 00:02:04,320 Speaker 3: us while we're out working as producers for Latino USA. 38 00:02:05,080 --> 00:02:08,960 Speaker 2: Brecente's house in the Molina Latino Family Gallery. It's in 39 00:02:08,960 --> 00:02:12,360 Speaker 2: the Museum of American History, and it's the Smithsonian's first 40 00:02:12,360 --> 00:02:16,960 Speaker 2: permanent space dedicated to the Latino experience in the United States. 41 00:02:17,280 --> 00:02:20,760 Speaker 2: That alone is something remarkable. But we're here to cover 42 00:02:20,840 --> 00:02:24,440 Speaker 2: the opening of this show mainly because it's a precursor 43 00:02:24,760 --> 00:02:26,080 Speaker 2: of something big to come. 44 00:02:26,680 --> 00:02:28,800 Speaker 5: Thank you all for being here today and helping us 45 00:02:28,800 --> 00:02:31,880 Speaker 5: celebrate this moment to stay Today, we celebrate this new gallery, 46 00:02:31,919 --> 00:02:35,519 Speaker 5: and soon we will celebrate an entire museum dedicates to 47 00:02:35,560 --> 00:02:38,400 Speaker 5: the rich and vibrant history of the American Latino. 48 00:02:39,040 --> 00:02:43,400 Speaker 3: That's Corges Amanillo. He's the inaugural director of the upcoming museum. 49 00:02:43,440 --> 00:02:47,959 Speaker 3: He's talking about the Smithsonians National Museum of the American Latino, 50 00:02:48,639 --> 00:02:52,760 Speaker 3: and Precente is a major step towards that museum. 51 00:02:52,840 --> 00:02:55,320 Speaker 5: Like our democracy, we're all part of this new museum. 52 00:02:55,600 --> 00:02:57,480 Speaker 5: I hope you enjoy the exhibit, and due course I 53 00:02:57,520 --> 00:02:59,640 Speaker 5: look forward to seeing you all at the new National 54 00:02:59,720 --> 00:03:01,639 Speaker 5: Museum of the American Latino. Thank you. 55 00:03:09,880 --> 00:03:14,640 Speaker 1: From Fudromedia and PRX. It's Latino USA. I'm marieo Hosa. 56 00:03:14,919 --> 00:03:18,200 Speaker 1: Today we trace the origins of the National Museum of 57 00:03:18,240 --> 00:03:26,040 Speaker 1: the American Latino and how it's starting to take shape. 58 00:03:26,480 --> 00:03:32,080 Speaker 1: Museums are political spaces. They carry a big responsibility to 59 00:03:32,160 --> 00:03:37,480 Speaker 1: decide which stories and artifacts to preserve across generations. Over time, 60 00:03:37,520 --> 00:03:41,640 Speaker 1: they help define our social and cultural identities. The Smithsonian 61 00:03:41,720 --> 00:03:45,160 Speaker 1: Institution is no exception, home to some of our biggest 62 00:03:45,360 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: national museums. The Smithsonian strives to capture the history and 63 00:03:49,880 --> 00:03:55,000 Speaker 1: culture of the entire United States, but that's easier said 64 00:03:55,200 --> 00:04:00,000 Speaker 1: than done. The institution has repeatedly failed to fulfill its 65 00:04:00,120 --> 00:04:03,240 Speaker 1: mission in the past, especially when it comes to honoring 66 00:04:03,320 --> 00:04:08,880 Speaker 1: and spotlighting black, Brown, Asian, and Indigenous people. Now, nearly 67 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:14,040 Speaker 1: two centuries after the Smithsonian was founded, its roster is 68 00:04:14,120 --> 00:04:18,120 Speaker 1: expanding to include the National Museum of the American Latino. 69 00:04:21,560 --> 00:04:25,600 Speaker 1: Getting here was decades in the making. In nineteen ninety four, 70 00:04:25,680 --> 00:04:30,080 Speaker 1: the Smithsonian released a report called Willful Neglect, which found 71 00:04:30,120 --> 00:04:33,640 Speaker 1: that Latinos and Latinas were left out in nearly every 72 00:04:33,880 --> 00:04:38,720 Speaker 1: aspect of the Smithsonian's operation. The report made waves, and 73 00:04:38,960 --> 00:04:42,320 Speaker 1: it sparked a campaign to create a national museum for 74 00:04:42,440 --> 00:04:47,320 Speaker 1: Latinos and Latinas. After two decades, in late twenty twenty, 75 00:04:47,839 --> 00:04:51,800 Speaker 1: Congress finally approved the creation of the National Museum of 76 00:04:51,839 --> 00:04:56,719 Speaker 1: the American Latino. The National Museum of the American Latino 77 00:04:57,000 --> 00:05:00,839 Speaker 1: doesn't even have a building yet, and it's not expected 78 00:05:00,920 --> 00:05:03,760 Speaker 1: to open to the public for at least another decade. 79 00:05:04,320 --> 00:05:08,040 Speaker 1: But the museum is already making moves. A founding director, 80 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:12,440 Speaker 1: a board, and some core staff have been hired, and 81 00:05:12,640 --> 00:05:17,279 Speaker 1: it's even debuted its first show it's already creating a 82 00:05:17,320 --> 00:05:20,479 Speaker 1: foundation that the rest of the institution will be built 83 00:05:20,520 --> 00:05:26,680 Speaker 1: off of, and that calls for some scrutiny. Full disclosure. Yes, 84 00:05:26,839 --> 00:05:30,600 Speaker 1: I was interviewed and featured in the museum's latest show, Precente, 85 00:05:30,880 --> 00:05:34,240 Speaker 1: because of my work as a Latina journalist, but I 86 00:05:34,240 --> 00:05:36,680 Speaker 1: haven't been involved with the project in any other way, 87 00:05:36,720 --> 00:05:39,640 Speaker 1: and neither has my team, and I haven't been involved 88 00:05:39,680 --> 00:05:45,320 Speaker 1: in reporting out this story. So with that said, how 89 00:05:45,400 --> 00:05:50,840 Speaker 1: do you create a national Latino Museum Latino USA? Producers 90 00:05:50,880 --> 00:05:55,760 Speaker 1: Alejandra Salasad and Reinaldo Les Junior trace how years of 91 00:05:55,880 --> 00:05:58,839 Speaker 1: advocacy led us to this moment, and they're going to 92 00:05:58,880 --> 00:06:02,640 Speaker 1: explore how the museum takes its first steps towards becoming 93 00:06:02,920 --> 00:06:05,680 Speaker 1: a reality. 94 00:06:06,600 --> 00:06:10,640 Speaker 3: We walk into the Smithsonian's Museum of American History, and 95 00:06:10,680 --> 00:06:13,720 Speaker 3: we're welcomed by the word Precente. It's in all caps, 96 00:06:13,960 --> 00:06:16,080 Speaker 3: cut out of a large black panel at the entrance 97 00:06:16,120 --> 00:06:20,760 Speaker 3: of Molina Gallery. Brecenta's mission is to showcase how Latino 98 00:06:20,880 --> 00:06:25,760 Speaker 3: history is American history. That's a significant challenge, and the 99 00:06:25,800 --> 00:06:29,719 Speaker 3: show's ambition becomes even clearer when we go inside because 100 00:06:29,720 --> 00:06:33,880 Speaker 3: the gallery isn't that big. It's basically one large room, 101 00:06:34,160 --> 00:06:36,839 Speaker 3: a modest size for a gallery meant to tell centries 102 00:06:36,920 --> 00:06:42,839 Speaker 3: of LATINX narratives. Colorful artifacts hang on the wall. The 103 00:06:42,920 --> 00:06:46,039 Speaker 3: first piece that greets us is this bright red dance 104 00:06:46,120 --> 00:06:49,839 Speaker 3: outfit from New Mexico used in ceremonies honoring Native people 105 00:06:49,880 --> 00:06:50,520 Speaker 3: from the region. 106 00:06:50,640 --> 00:06:54,719 Speaker 6: And this is like this really beautiful dress with fringe 107 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:56,440 Speaker 6: and feathers. 108 00:06:56,080 --> 00:06:58,919 Speaker 2: And beadwork behind it. There's like, you know, there's a 109 00:06:59,000 --> 00:07:03,440 Speaker 2: videoplane of wolf who are you know who are dancing 110 00:07:03,480 --> 00:07:05,480 Speaker 2: and playing with some of their music as well. 111 00:07:07,080 --> 00:07:10,160 Speaker 3: More items, over two hundred of them placed around the 112 00:07:10,200 --> 00:07:16,120 Speaker 3: gallery tell stories of migration, colonialism, political movements, and LATINX culture. 113 00:07:16,520 --> 00:07:20,040 Speaker 3: There's a registration form from eighteen sixty seven for Enslaved 114 00:07:20,080 --> 00:07:24,360 Speaker 3: Persons in Puerto Rico, a nineteenth century printing press evoking 115 00:07:24,360 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 3: the work of LATINX journalists and writers who documented historic 116 00:07:28,200 --> 00:07:32,200 Speaker 3: moments like the Mexican American War. Tiny makeshift raft made 117 00:07:32,200 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 3: of found materials like wood and styrofoam. Cuban refugees used 118 00:07:36,440 --> 00:07:38,640 Speaker 3: it to make a two hundred and fifteen mile journey 119 00:07:38,720 --> 00:07:42,360 Speaker 3: to the US back in the nineties. In old skateboard 120 00:07:42,360 --> 00:07:45,800 Speaker 3: and vintage punk music, records, a backpack and sneakers worn 121 00:07:45,840 --> 00:07:50,480 Speaker 3: by migrants, construction hats and graduation caps, protest signs, and 122 00:07:50,560 --> 00:07:54,560 Speaker 3: statuettes of Catholic saints. In other settings, these pieces might 123 00:07:54,640 --> 00:07:59,040 Speaker 3: be dismissed as small everyday items. Now they sit under 124 00:07:59,040 --> 00:08:02,720 Speaker 3: spotlights in a national gallery space, each offering a small 125 00:08:02,760 --> 00:08:07,000 Speaker 3: gateway to another person's life. Ray and I walk up 126 00:08:07,000 --> 00:08:09,320 Speaker 3: to a sculpture. As we take in the piece, we 127 00:08:09,360 --> 00:08:11,800 Speaker 3: get to speak with Henry Mugnos, the chairman of the 128 00:08:11,800 --> 00:08:14,400 Speaker 3: board for the National Museum of the American Ladino. 129 00:08:15,400 --> 00:08:19,120 Speaker 7: If you made me pick one thing in this entire gallery, 130 00:08:19,160 --> 00:08:24,520 Speaker 7: I would pick the Tree of Life by Mayestra Veronica Castillo. 131 00:08:24,680 --> 00:08:27,440 Speaker 8: I just think it's beautiful. 132 00:08:27,760 --> 00:08:30,720 Speaker 3: The Tree of Life arbol de la Vida in Spanish 133 00:08:31,480 --> 00:08:33,760 Speaker 3: l l la Vida is a popular kind of sculpture 134 00:08:33,920 --> 00:08:37,280 Speaker 3: found throughout Mexico and inspired by the Biblical Tree of Life. 135 00:08:38,040 --> 00:08:41,200 Speaker 3: Nonica's version here looks like a multi colored skeleton of 136 00:08:41,240 --> 00:08:45,280 Speaker 3: a tree made of clay. Small figurines of latinx icons 137 00:08:45,360 --> 00:08:48,920 Speaker 3: rest on its branches, like labor organizers, the Lorees Guerta 138 00:08:49,080 --> 00:08:53,760 Speaker 3: and Emmatena Juca. Supreme Court Justice Sonia sot Major Baseball 139 00:08:53,800 --> 00:08:57,199 Speaker 3: player Mariano Rivera, artist Anna Mendieta. 140 00:08:57,559 --> 00:08:59,000 Speaker 8: I just think it's fantastic. 141 00:08:59,160 --> 00:09:03,760 Speaker 7: It's Scott, the LGBTQ community, look at the astronauts. 142 00:09:03,840 --> 00:09:06,319 Speaker 8: The storytelling is just fantastic. 143 00:09:06,760 --> 00:09:09,400 Speaker 3: Henry has been involved with public efforts to create a 144 00:09:09,480 --> 00:09:14,040 Speaker 3: national LATINX museum for close to thirty years, basically since 145 00:09:14,040 --> 00:09:17,320 Speaker 3: the Wilful Neglect Report revealed the lack of LATINX representation 146 00:09:17,480 --> 00:09:18,439 Speaker 3: within the Smithsonian. 147 00:09:19,440 --> 00:09:23,400 Speaker 7: One of those people who's been waiting five hundred years 148 00:09:23,440 --> 00:09:24,280 Speaker 7: for this to happen. 149 00:09:24,960 --> 00:09:28,280 Speaker 3: Henry's frustration over the slow moving process of making a 150 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:38,880 Speaker 3: new museum echoes across the Smithsonian's history. For example, the 151 00:09:38,920 --> 00:09:42,520 Speaker 3: creation of the Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Indian 152 00:09:42,960 --> 00:09:48,800 Speaker 3: wasn't approved until November nineteen eighty nine, Yes, nineteen eighty nine. 153 00:09:50,200 --> 00:09:52,880 Speaker 3: For more than a decade prior, Native American tribes and 154 00:09:52,920 --> 00:09:56,640 Speaker 3: activists were publicly calling out museums across the country for 155 00:09:56,720 --> 00:10:00,800 Speaker 3: stealing the bones and artifacts of their ancestors. At the 156 00:10:00,840 --> 00:10:03,880 Speaker 3: center of it all was the Smithsonian, which was holding 157 00:10:03,920 --> 00:10:08,840 Speaker 3: the skeletal remains of approximately eighteen thousand Native Americans. In 158 00:10:08,880 --> 00:10:13,120 Speaker 3: September nineteen eighty nine, the Smithsonian finally agreed to repatriat 159 00:10:13,160 --> 00:10:17,720 Speaker 3: remains to their respective tribes, a process that's still ongoing today. 160 00:10:18,000 --> 00:10:20,920 Speaker 3: That same year, legislation to create a National Museum of 161 00:10:20,960 --> 00:10:24,880 Speaker 3: the American Indian under the Smithsonian was introduced and passed 162 00:10:24,920 --> 00:10:28,040 Speaker 3: in Congress. Fifteen years later, in two thousand and four, 163 00:10:28,520 --> 00:10:31,520 Speaker 3: the museum in Washington, d C. Finally opened its doors. 164 00:10:32,080 --> 00:10:36,360 Speaker 3: Following generations of exclusion and theft from Native Americans, it 165 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:39,520 Speaker 3: took the institution about one hundred and fifty years to 166 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:42,800 Speaker 3: highlight the people whose land its museums stand on to 167 00:10:42,840 --> 00:10:50,320 Speaker 3: begin with. Another example is the most recent Smithsonian Museum, 168 00:10:51,240 --> 00:10:55,000 Speaker 3: the National Museum of African American History and Culture, literally 169 00:10:55,080 --> 00:10:58,439 Speaker 3: took a century to become a reality. Black Civil War 170 00:10:58,520 --> 00:11:01,480 Speaker 3: veterans proposed the idea of for a monument or memorial 171 00:11:01,520 --> 00:11:05,319 Speaker 3: for African Americans in nineteen fifteen, and a bill was 172 00:11:05,360 --> 00:11:08,360 Speaker 3: introduced to Congress a year later, but the idea would 173 00:11:08,400 --> 00:11:11,400 Speaker 3: take years to garner political support, and even when it 174 00:11:11,400 --> 00:11:13,760 Speaker 3: looked like it might happen every few decades or so, 175 00:11:14,400 --> 00:11:17,360 Speaker 3: Congress wouldn't a lot enough funding to the project. An 176 00:11:17,400 --> 00:11:21,760 Speaker 3: iteration of that legislation with partial funding was finally approved 177 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:24,200 Speaker 3: by Congress in two thousand and three, and the museum 178 00:11:24,280 --> 00:11:27,640 Speaker 3: opened to the public over a decade later in twenty sixteen. 179 00:11:30,360 --> 00:11:33,800 Speaker 3: Like these other museums, Henry believes a National Latino Museum 180 00:11:33,960 --> 00:11:37,480 Speaker 3: is a chance to capture the various and varied roles 181 00:11:37,800 --> 00:11:40,200 Speaker 3: Latinos have played in shaping this country. 182 00:11:40,520 --> 00:11:42,480 Speaker 7: Our people have been here since before there was a 183 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:47,040 Speaker 7: United States of America, and so this gallery has an 184 00:11:47,040 --> 00:11:50,800 Speaker 7: opportunity to create cultural understanding at a moment in our 185 00:11:50,840 --> 00:11:52,800 Speaker 7: country's history where we really need it. 186 00:11:53,480 --> 00:11:57,079 Speaker 3: Henry has spent decades working with the Smithsonian. He served 187 00:11:57,120 --> 00:11:59,760 Speaker 3: on its national Board, and he eventually became the chairman 188 00:11:59,840 --> 00:12:03,600 Speaker 3: of the Latino Center, the Smithsonian's response to its infamous report. 189 00:12:04,559 --> 00:12:07,080 Speaker 3: Henry's a big donor too. His name is on the 190 00:12:07,080 --> 00:12:10,640 Speaker 3: wall at the entrance of the Precenta exhibition. It represents 191 00:12:10,720 --> 00:12:13,480 Speaker 3: what he's been advocating for all these years. 192 00:12:14,040 --> 00:12:17,280 Speaker 7: So the fact that it took, you know, thirty years 193 00:12:17,320 --> 00:12:21,200 Speaker 7: of educating not just the members of Congress but the 194 00:12:21,240 --> 00:12:24,400 Speaker 7: public about the importance of this museum is. 195 00:12:27,000 --> 00:12:28,199 Speaker 8: That's just the way it is. 196 00:12:28,760 --> 00:12:30,840 Speaker 7: And I'm glad that we're here today, and I hope 197 00:12:30,880 --> 00:12:32,920 Speaker 7: I'm here long enough to see the opening of the 198 00:12:33,080 --> 00:12:36,199 Speaker 7: doors of the National Museum of American Latino. 199 00:12:38,559 --> 00:12:41,719 Speaker 2: Henry mentions Congress because way before the creation of a 200 00:12:41,800 --> 00:12:45,760 Speaker 2: Latino museum was even a possibility, the battle to try 201 00:12:45,800 --> 00:12:49,040 Speaker 2: to make that happen took place on Capitol Hill. 202 00:12:49,160 --> 00:12:52,920 Speaker 9: My name is Ileana Ross Clayton, and and I was 203 00:12:52,920 --> 00:12:57,840 Speaker 9: a member of Congress for almost thirty years representing South Florida. 204 00:12:57,960 --> 00:13:00,400 Speaker 2: Ileana was born in Cuba and then moved to the 205 00:13:00,480 --> 00:13:03,400 Speaker 2: US when she was just eight years old. She was 206 00:13:03,400 --> 00:13:06,520 Speaker 2: elected to Congress over thirty years ago as a Republican. 207 00:13:07,000 --> 00:13:10,520 Speaker 2: As a congresswoman, Ileana says she formally started pushing for 208 00:13:10,600 --> 00:13:14,000 Speaker 2: a Latino museum back in two thousand and four, but 209 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:17,440 Speaker 2: she admits she saw the need for this much much sooner. 210 00:13:17,920 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 9: Well, when I got elected in nineteen eighty nine, my 211 00:13:21,080 --> 00:13:24,200 Speaker 9: children were very young, and I would take them to 212 00:13:24,480 --> 00:13:28,559 Speaker 9: these beautiful museums that we have here in Washington, d c. 213 00:13:29,240 --> 00:13:33,160 Speaker 9: And part of the Smithsonian Collage of Museums, and I 214 00:13:33,200 --> 00:13:36,439 Speaker 9: would always be amazed that there was never any any 215 00:13:36,520 --> 00:13:41,720 Speaker 9: section or any museum devoted to the growing impact of 216 00:13:42,160 --> 00:13:45,640 Speaker 9: Hispanic communities throughout the United States. And I said, Wow, 217 00:13:45,679 --> 00:13:48,840 Speaker 9: that's really missing. You know, maybe we should do something 218 00:13:48,880 --> 00:13:50,920 Speaker 9: about that. There's a real void. 219 00:13:54,760 --> 00:13:58,840 Speaker 2: To understand why Eleanna, a congresswoman, needed to get involved 220 00:13:58,880 --> 00:14:01,440 Speaker 2: in this issue, we have to first understand that the 221 00:14:01,440 --> 00:14:05,520 Speaker 2: Smithsonian is actually part of the federal government. It's granted 222 00:14:05,559 --> 00:14:09,480 Speaker 2: authority over its own grounds and buildings, but it depends 223 00:14:09,559 --> 00:14:13,480 Speaker 2: on Congress for some funding and the authorization of major 224 00:14:13,520 --> 00:14:18,479 Speaker 2: projects projects like a National Latino Museum, and the Smithsonian 225 00:14:18,679 --> 00:14:23,040 Speaker 2: is in part funded by US US taxpayers. In twenty 226 00:14:23,080 --> 00:14:26,360 Speaker 2: twenty one, more than sixty percent of the institution's funding 227 00:14:26,720 --> 00:14:32,120 Speaker 2: came from the federal government. Creating a National Latino Museum 228 00:14:32,360 --> 00:14:36,640 Speaker 2: became a legislative priority for Ileana, and she started working 229 00:14:36,680 --> 00:14:40,440 Speaker 2: on it with former Congressman Jose Serrano, a Democrat from 230 00:14:40,440 --> 00:14:43,800 Speaker 2: New York. First, they needed to figure out what to 231 00:14:43,880 --> 00:14:44,240 Speaker 2: call it. 232 00:14:44,600 --> 00:14:47,880 Speaker 9: We fussed about whether it should be called Hispanic American 233 00:14:48,320 --> 00:14:50,720 Speaker 9: or Latino I mean, Jos, all kinds of words that 234 00:14:50,760 --> 00:14:53,800 Speaker 9: you could throw out as to who we were, and 235 00:14:53,840 --> 00:14:56,680 Speaker 9: finally it was settled on the National Museum of the 236 00:14:56,760 --> 00:14:58,080 Speaker 9: American Latino. 237 00:14:58,840 --> 00:15:01,360 Speaker 2: Then it was time to draft some legislation. 238 00:15:02,360 --> 00:15:06,680 Speaker 9: Jose and I filed a bill that would create a 239 00:15:06,800 --> 00:15:13,440 Speaker 9: commission to study whether we could have such a museum. 240 00:15:13,960 --> 00:15:18,040 Speaker 2: They couldn't introduce legislation to create a National Latino Museum 241 00:15:18,440 --> 00:15:22,360 Speaker 2: without formally exploring the possibility first. After several years of 242 00:15:22,360 --> 00:15:25,280 Speaker 2: pushing for it, the creation of the commission was approved 243 00:15:25,280 --> 00:15:27,680 Speaker 2: at the tail end of George W. Bush's time in 244 00:15:27,760 --> 00:15:31,000 Speaker 2: office in two thousand and eight. The commission wouldn't actually 245 00:15:31,080 --> 00:15:34,480 Speaker 2: be formed until a year later under the Obama administration. 246 00:15:35,640 --> 00:15:39,120 Speaker 2: Remember Henry Munos now the chairman of the National Museum 247 00:15:39,200 --> 00:15:42,840 Speaker 2: of the American Latino. He was also the person chosen 248 00:15:42,920 --> 00:15:45,840 Speaker 2: to lead this commission. This is Henry talking at a 249 00:15:45,880 --> 00:15:48,440 Speaker 2: two thousand and nine press conference about the work ahead. 250 00:15:48,840 --> 00:15:51,760 Speaker 10: I want to say that at this moment in our 251 00:15:51,840 --> 00:15:55,720 Speaker 10: nation's history, the appointment of a commission that is composed 252 00:15:55,800 --> 00:15:59,440 Speaker 10: of citizen members of people who will volunteer their time 253 00:15:59,480 --> 00:16:01,640 Speaker 10: over the court of the next year to look at 254 00:16:01,640 --> 00:16:06,400 Speaker 10: the location, the concepts, the collections, and the fundraising to 255 00:16:06,480 --> 00:16:09,720 Speaker 10: create a National Museum of the American Latino is historic. 256 00:16:10,240 --> 00:16:12,640 Speaker 2: The group wrapped up and presented its findings to the 257 00:16:12,680 --> 00:16:16,640 Speaker 2: President in twenty eleven. The result was what Ileana and 258 00:16:16,680 --> 00:16:21,000 Speaker 2: supporting colleagues were hoping for, building a museum for Latinos 259 00:16:21,040 --> 00:16:25,360 Speaker 2: on the National mall was possible and vital. Anything less 260 00:16:25,520 --> 00:16:26,400 Speaker 2: would fall short. 261 00:16:26,720 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 9: Once we had that, then we wanted to actually build 262 00:16:30,160 --> 00:16:34,240 Speaker 9: the museum. Oh boy, it's a task worthy of hercules. 263 00:16:34,720 --> 00:16:39,960 Speaker 9: But in twenty seventeen we introduced the National Museum of 264 00:16:40,080 --> 00:16:43,320 Speaker 9: the American Latino Act. And I'm sorry to give you 265 00:16:43,360 --> 00:16:46,880 Speaker 9: such a chronology, but it's been quite a struggle. 266 00:16:47,160 --> 00:16:50,560 Speaker 2: The bill had a surprising amount of bipartisan support behind it, 267 00:16:50,920 --> 00:16:54,840 Speaker 2: especially from senators and House members who represented areas with 268 00:16:55,040 --> 00:16:59,480 Speaker 2: large LATINX populations. The National Latino Museum was backed by 269 00:16:59,480 --> 00:17:04,200 Speaker 2: people like then California Congressman Javiert Becera. Today he's President 270 00:17:04,280 --> 00:17:06,880 Speaker 2: Biden's Secretary of Health and Human Services. 271 00:17:07,200 --> 00:17:09,840 Speaker 11: If you walk through the mall of the nation's capital, 272 00:17:10,280 --> 00:17:14,160 Speaker 11: you could come out understanding better than any place also 273 00:17:14,200 --> 00:17:16,119 Speaker 11: the world, what it means to be an American. But 274 00:17:16,760 --> 00:17:19,879 Speaker 11: once you finish that walk through all those museums along 275 00:17:19,920 --> 00:17:22,080 Speaker 11: the mall, you don't have a complete picture. 276 00:17:22,440 --> 00:17:25,880 Speaker 2: Former Senator Ken Salas out of Colorado and Senator Bob 277 00:17:25,920 --> 00:17:30,160 Speaker 2: Menendez of New Jersey, both Democrats, supported the museum, and 278 00:17:30,320 --> 00:17:34,000 Speaker 2: some Republican heavyweights also threw their support behind it. The 279 00:17:34,080 --> 00:17:37,280 Speaker 2: late Senator Orrin Hatch from Utah was an early proponent, 280 00:17:37,760 --> 00:17:42,040 Speaker 2: and Texas Senator John Cornyn helped introduce the final legislation 281 00:17:42,119 --> 00:17:45,200 Speaker 2: that would make the museum official. But it wasn't all 282 00:17:45,200 --> 00:17:45,959 Speaker 2: smooth sailing. 283 00:17:46,320 --> 00:17:49,600 Speaker 9: There were many moments where we thought, oh my goodness, 284 00:17:49,640 --> 00:17:52,159 Speaker 9: this is just never going to get off the ground. 285 00:17:55,280 --> 00:17:59,120 Speaker 2: There were many arguments against creating a National Latino Museum, 286 00:17:59,560 --> 00:18:03,119 Speaker 2: things like it was too expensive or too political. There 287 00:18:03,160 --> 00:18:06,760 Speaker 2: were also objections to building on the National Mall. One 288 00:18:06,800 --> 00:18:10,440 Speaker 2: line of thinking from several people in Congress was that, oh, 289 00:18:10,560 --> 00:18:13,760 Speaker 2: if we give Latinos a museum, then every quote unquote 290 00:18:13,760 --> 00:18:17,520 Speaker 2: minority group is going to want one. Another popular suggestion 291 00:18:17,680 --> 00:18:21,480 Speaker 2: among those not in favor was, instead of a Latino museum, 292 00:18:22,000 --> 00:18:25,200 Speaker 2: why not a national immigration museum. Wouldn't that be more 293 00:18:25,200 --> 00:18:29,520 Speaker 2: inclusive of other communities. Here's Utah Senator Mike Lee, who 294 00:18:29,560 --> 00:18:33,440 Speaker 2: at one point blocked legislation to create a National Latino Museum. 295 00:18:33,760 --> 00:18:36,400 Speaker 12: But the last thing we need is to further divide 296 00:18:36,560 --> 00:18:40,840 Speaker 12: an already divided nation with an array of segregated, separate 297 00:18:40,840 --> 00:18:44,320 Speaker 12: but equal museums for hyphenated identity groups. 298 00:18:44,520 --> 00:18:46,760 Speaker 2: It was an ongoing tug of war, and the bill 299 00:18:46,880 --> 00:18:49,600 Speaker 2: kept getting bogged down and kicked off the floor for 300 00:18:49,680 --> 00:18:54,000 Speaker 2: many years. Then December twenty twenty came along. We were 301 00:18:54,040 --> 00:18:57,920 Speaker 2: in the midst of an unprecedented pandemic and political tensions 302 00:18:57,960 --> 00:19:01,800 Speaker 2: in the US were reaching all time highs. Congress was 303 00:19:01,800 --> 00:19:06,320 Speaker 2: on the verge of passing COVID nineteen relief legislation, so 304 00:19:06,600 --> 00:19:10,080 Speaker 2: Iliana and her colleagues decided to attach their bill for 305 00:19:10,160 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 2: a National Latino Museum to this larger package. It was 306 00:19:14,359 --> 00:19:17,800 Speaker 2: a tactical move, she says. They knew the COVID legislation 307 00:19:18,200 --> 00:19:22,639 Speaker 2: had to pass, and it finally did on December twenty seven, 308 00:19:22,920 --> 00:19:26,800 Speaker 2: twenty twenty. The National Latino Museum was wrapped up in 309 00:19:26,840 --> 00:19:31,120 Speaker 2: a nearly nine hundred billion dollars COVID nineteen relief package 310 00:19:31,440 --> 00:19:35,440 Speaker 2: like a trojan horse. Iliana says, the Trump administration took 311 00:19:35,440 --> 00:19:36,800 Speaker 2: it in stride. 312 00:19:36,960 --> 00:19:39,480 Speaker 9: I guess some people would think that it was ironic, 313 00:19:39,800 --> 00:19:43,320 Speaker 9: but actually the Trump administration did not fight this bill 314 00:19:43,359 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 9: at all. 315 00:19:47,960 --> 00:19:51,800 Speaker 3: The President's signature greenlit the creation of the National Museum 316 00:19:51,880 --> 00:19:55,200 Speaker 3: of the American Latino. It also approved its funding model. 317 00:19:55,560 --> 00:19:57,920 Speaker 3: Half of the money would come from Congress and half 318 00:19:57,960 --> 00:20:01,080 Speaker 3: would need to be fundraised from private donors. It's the 319 00:20:01,119 --> 00:20:04,280 Speaker 3: same funding model the National Museum of African American History 320 00:20:04,280 --> 00:20:07,880 Speaker 3: and Culture used. The cost of the National Latino Museum 321 00:20:08,040 --> 00:20:10,479 Speaker 3: is projected to be anywhere between six hundred to eight 322 00:20:10,560 --> 00:20:14,800 Speaker 3: hundred million dollars, though that's subject to change. The museum 323 00:20:14,880 --> 00:20:17,760 Speaker 3: is going to need some big funders, which often means 324 00:20:17,760 --> 00:20:23,399 Speaker 3: big companies. Walmart, Microsoft, Wells, Fargo, Bank of America, and 325 00:20:23,520 --> 00:20:26,920 Speaker 3: Coca Cola are among those that have already pledged some millions. 326 00:20:27,800 --> 00:20:30,560 Speaker 3: Along with securing its funding, the museum also needs to 327 00:20:30,600 --> 00:20:33,960 Speaker 3: find its home. The location is highly contested right now, 328 00:20:34,119 --> 00:20:36,320 Speaker 3: either to be on the National Mall across from the 329 00:20:36,400 --> 00:20:39,840 Speaker 3: National Museum of African American History and Culture or on 330 00:20:39,880 --> 00:20:43,080 Speaker 3: a different site. And then there's the question of staffing 331 00:20:43,560 --> 00:20:47,439 Speaker 3: and curation and along that process, building an institution for 332 00:20:47,480 --> 00:20:51,080 Speaker 3: the future that is representative of everyone in the LATINX community, 333 00:20:51,400 --> 00:21:02,399 Speaker 3: cross generations, race, gender, and nationality. Easy right, Yeah. Precente 334 00:21:02,560 --> 00:21:05,159 Speaker 3: started to give life to the National Museum of the 335 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:09,760 Speaker 3: American Latino and as the space becomes more and more tangible, 336 00:21:09,960 --> 00:21:13,520 Speaker 3: more real, people within the community are starting to ask 337 00:21:14,240 --> 00:21:16,399 Speaker 3: whose stories are going to be on its walls and 338 00:21:16,440 --> 00:21:21,200 Speaker 3: floors and who might be left out. Here's Henry Munos 339 00:21:21,280 --> 00:21:23,280 Speaker 3: the chairman of the board for the Latino Museum. 340 00:21:23,400 --> 00:21:27,280 Speaker 7: Again, well it's a queer brown chairman of the National 341 00:21:27,320 --> 00:21:30,520 Speaker 7: Museum of the American Latino. I would say that museums 342 00:21:30,520 --> 00:21:36,680 Speaker 7: have always their strongest when there are places of conversation, 343 00:21:37,280 --> 00:21:41,040 Speaker 7: and those conversations are not always easy. And this is 344 00:21:41,080 --> 00:21:44,800 Speaker 7: the beginning of this process. So I would say, come 345 00:21:44,840 --> 00:21:45,160 Speaker 7: on in. 346 00:21:47,320 --> 00:21:50,439 Speaker 1: Who gets to be part of the National Museum of 347 00:21:50,480 --> 00:21:54,960 Speaker 1: the American Latino, both behind the scenes and on display. 348 00:21:55,480 --> 00:22:00,119 Speaker 1: That question hangs in the ballots as this institution begins 349 00:22:00,119 --> 00:22:08,200 Speaker 1: to take shape. Stay with us, Yes, hey, we're back. 350 00:22:08,920 --> 00:22:11,000 Speaker 1: When we left off, we heard from some of the 351 00:22:11,080 --> 00:22:14,119 Speaker 1: people that were trying to make the National Museum of 352 00:22:14,160 --> 00:22:19,320 Speaker 1: the American Latino a reality. Now, as efforts to build 353 00:22:19,359 --> 00:22:22,240 Speaker 1: it are underway, we're going to dive behind the scenes 354 00:22:22,720 --> 00:22:25,919 Speaker 1: to try to understand the vision of this museum and 355 00:22:26,040 --> 00:22:30,439 Speaker 1: how crucial it is to include different voices in the process. 356 00:22:31,720 --> 00:22:34,199 Speaker 2: At Waterloo, dis is giving us a tour of some 357 00:22:34,280 --> 00:22:36,200 Speaker 2: of its favorite spots in Presente. 358 00:22:36,720 --> 00:22:39,040 Speaker 13: This has been seven years of a lot of hard work. 359 00:22:39,040 --> 00:22:42,119 Speaker 13: We started from nothing. We had no project manager, we 360 00:22:42,200 --> 00:22:45,199 Speaker 13: had no space, we had no money, you know, but 361 00:22:45,280 --> 00:22:48,520 Speaker 13: it was built on a desire to you know, plant 362 00:22:48,520 --> 00:22:48,959 Speaker 13: the flag. 363 00:22:49,600 --> 00:22:52,800 Speaker 2: Until recently, at Wataho was the director of the Smithsonian 364 00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:56,600 Speaker 2: Latino Center. The center has been around since nineteen ninety seven. 365 00:22:56,920 --> 00:22:59,920 Speaker 2: It was the Smithsonian's response to its report about Latino. 366 00:23:00,640 --> 00:23:03,040 Speaker 2: At Waado let the center from two thousand and eight 367 00:23:03,280 --> 00:23:06,360 Speaker 2: until it got absorbed into the Museum of the American Latino. 368 00:23:06,560 --> 00:23:09,320 Speaker 2: In the last two years. At Wardo is now the 369 00:23:09,400 --> 00:23:12,480 Speaker 2: Museum's acting deputy director, you know. 370 00:23:12,480 --> 00:23:14,400 Speaker 13: And I love very much that we're able to tell 371 00:23:14,440 --> 00:23:15,800 Speaker 13: stories that people don't. 372 00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:19,159 Speaker 2: Know about, stories like so Theo Figaroa's. 373 00:23:20,240 --> 00:23:23,359 Speaker 13: You know, he is Afro Puerto Rican guy, and of course, 374 00:23:23,400 --> 00:23:26,000 Speaker 13: you know, we know that Afro Puerto Ricans didn't have 375 00:23:26,000 --> 00:23:30,440 Speaker 13: the same access generally speaking, to resources, including quality education 376 00:23:30,600 --> 00:23:33,800 Speaker 13: on the island. So one of the things that made 377 00:23:33,880 --> 00:23:39,520 Speaker 13: too Figaroa so literate, so committed was he was a typesetter. 378 00:23:39,640 --> 00:23:43,320 Speaker 13: So that's the way he learned it and enhances his literacy. 379 00:23:43,680 --> 00:23:46,080 Speaker 2: So Thato later moved to New York, where he founded 380 00:23:46,119 --> 00:23:49,360 Speaker 2: in Brenda America. It was a print shop in Lower 381 00:23:49,440 --> 00:23:53,760 Speaker 2: Manhattan that produced the Cuban Revolutionary Parties newspaper. He also 382 00:23:53,800 --> 00:23:58,440 Speaker 2: contributed to other local Spanish language publications. The hidden histories 383 00:23:58,480 --> 00:24:01,440 Speaker 2: continue now on the west coast. 384 00:24:01,880 --> 00:24:05,080 Speaker 13: You see toy Purina the San Gabriel over here. She 385 00:24:05,359 --> 00:24:09,560 Speaker 13: was a freedom fighter from the San Gabriel Mission, Tongva 386 00:24:09,680 --> 00:24:15,280 Speaker 13: woman who was resisting the Spanish imposition of the mission systems, 387 00:24:16,040 --> 00:24:20,000 Speaker 13: which were essentially it was enslavement as basically. But we 388 00:24:20,040 --> 00:24:22,200 Speaker 13: don't know about toy Purina, right, and there's so many 389 00:24:22,200 --> 00:24:25,240 Speaker 13: other characters. So who was the Stevan Nico, right, the 390 00:24:25,240 --> 00:24:28,640 Speaker 13: first African person to come out to the American continent. Right, 391 00:24:28,680 --> 00:24:31,720 Speaker 13: it's a slave, a Berber Muslim. And then there's Pope 392 00:24:31,960 --> 00:24:34,280 Speaker 13: that the Bublo we're bolted sixteen eighty that bluted the 393 00:24:34,280 --> 00:24:36,480 Speaker 13: Spaniards out of what is not Santa Fin. 394 00:24:37,280 --> 00:24:40,760 Speaker 2: Eduardo says that a sculpture of Pueblo revolutionary leader Pope 395 00:24:41,320 --> 00:24:44,960 Speaker 2: will be the museum's first acquisition in honor of Latino's 396 00:24:44,960 --> 00:24:48,159 Speaker 2: indigenous roots. The black and Greek piece was made in 397 00:24:48,240 --> 00:24:54,120 Speaker 2: twenty eighteen by Pueblo artists Virgil Ortiz. Along with Eduardo's 398 00:24:54,160 --> 00:24:56,840 Speaker 2: personal tour, we noticed some more things in the show. 399 00:24:57,320 --> 00:25:01,000 Speaker 2: There were artifacts and stories about US expansion and the 400 00:25:01,040 --> 00:25:04,760 Speaker 2: Puerto Rican independence movement. A few steps ahead, there were 401 00:25:04,760 --> 00:25:08,600 Speaker 2: displays about Cuban immigration and the history of Texas and Mexico. 402 00:25:09,240 --> 00:25:12,600 Speaker 2: There were still some things missing. Latinos hail from more 403 00:25:12,640 --> 00:25:16,040 Speaker 2: than thirty different countries, and not all of them and 404 00:25:16,080 --> 00:25:19,919 Speaker 2: their histories were visible. There also weren't a lot of 405 00:25:19,960 --> 00:25:25,240 Speaker 2: prominent stories about children Asian Latinos and the LGBTQ community 406 00:25:25,400 --> 00:25:28,320 Speaker 2: out front and center, and a lot of the acknowledges 407 00:25:28,520 --> 00:25:30,040 Speaker 2: they had to make some tough calls. 408 00:25:30,560 --> 00:25:34,600 Speaker 13: For example, Brazilians are not reflected here. And you know, 409 00:25:34,640 --> 00:25:37,399 Speaker 13: the Brazilian community is a tricky one because you know 410 00:25:37,440 --> 00:25:40,679 Speaker 13: they're from a Portuguese speaking country. And this is not 411 00:25:40,720 --> 00:25:43,679 Speaker 13: a Hispanic gallery, that's not an Hispanic museum. 412 00:25:43,680 --> 00:25:45,840 Speaker 8: It's American Latino. 413 00:25:46,160 --> 00:25:48,959 Speaker 13: As far as I'm concerned, they're part of our community, 414 00:25:49,680 --> 00:25:51,720 Speaker 13: and so I think as they grow as a community, 415 00:25:51,720 --> 00:25:54,600 Speaker 13: we need to be more responsive to that demographic. 416 00:26:00,000 --> 00:26:02,920 Speaker 2: The National Museum of the American Latino won't be open 417 00:26:03,040 --> 00:26:06,000 Speaker 2: for at least another decade, and one of those says 418 00:26:06,040 --> 00:26:08,760 Speaker 2: at the Molina Gallery will continue to be a space 419 00:26:08,800 --> 00:26:11,159 Speaker 2: for the museum to figure out how to tell the 420 00:26:11,359 --> 00:26:15,960 Speaker 2: overarching narrative of Latinos in the United States. It's an 421 00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:19,439 Speaker 2: opportunity to realize what they missed the first time, and 422 00:26:19,560 --> 00:26:23,280 Speaker 2: figure out how they can make it better. After Precente, 423 00:26:23,320 --> 00:26:26,760 Speaker 2: the team at the Smithsonian plans to create other exhibitions, 424 00:26:26,840 --> 00:26:31,320 Speaker 2: including shows about Latinos in the military and Latino youth activism. 425 00:26:31,840 --> 00:26:35,440 Speaker 2: But for now, one takeaway from this show for everyone 426 00:26:35,880 --> 00:26:38,160 Speaker 2: is that there's still a lot of work ahead. 427 00:26:42,520 --> 00:26:44,880 Speaker 4: The Smithsonian is incredibly important. 428 00:26:45,040 --> 00:26:48,679 Speaker 14: I'm a historian, that's my academic discipline, and I've also 429 00:26:48,840 --> 00:26:52,560 Speaker 14: taken classes on public history. That's what museums are, essentially 430 00:26:52,680 --> 00:26:55,880 Speaker 14: public history right there, right for the people, for anyone 431 00:26:55,960 --> 00:26:56,680 Speaker 14: to come in. 432 00:26:57,320 --> 00:27:01,359 Speaker 3: This is Rosa Clemente. She's a scholar, orer, and independent 433 00:27:01,440 --> 00:27:05,639 Speaker 3: journalist whose work centers on Afro Black, LATINX communities and identity. 434 00:27:06,280 --> 00:27:08,000 Speaker 3: Back in two thousand and eight, she also ran for 435 00:27:08,119 --> 00:27:11,080 Speaker 3: vice president on the Green Party ticket. For years now, 436 00:27:11,160 --> 00:27:14,159 Speaker 3: she's been following the ongoing process to create a national 437 00:27:14,240 --> 00:27:17,760 Speaker 3: museum for Latinos, and she's already feeling skeptical about the 438 00:27:17,760 --> 00:27:18,840 Speaker 3: direction of the space. 439 00:27:19,560 --> 00:27:22,640 Speaker 4: Should the Smithsonian have a museum for us? Absolutely? 440 00:27:23,680 --> 00:27:28,360 Speaker 14: The problem is even saying the Museum of the American Latino, 441 00:27:28,560 --> 00:27:29,400 Speaker 14: what does that mean? 442 00:27:29,800 --> 00:27:31,800 Speaker 4: Like, who do you include in Latino. 443 00:27:35,680 --> 00:27:38,960 Speaker 3: As a historian Brosa says she finds herself drawn to 444 00:27:39,080 --> 00:27:43,119 Speaker 3: museums as spaces for discourse and archiving, but as a 445 00:27:43,119 --> 00:27:45,840 Speaker 3: black Puerto Rican woman, she's all too aware of how 446 00:27:45,840 --> 00:27:50,280 Speaker 3: these institutions often fail her in her community. It wasn't 447 00:27:50,359 --> 00:27:52,760 Speaker 3: until she got to college that she began to understand 448 00:27:52,800 --> 00:27:55,639 Speaker 3: her own history. She just didn't have access to that 449 00:27:55,760 --> 00:27:56,680 Speaker 3: knowledge growing up. 450 00:27:57,040 --> 00:27:59,679 Speaker 14: I don't even think I knew why Puerto Rico was 451 00:27:59,680 --> 00:28:03,280 Speaker 14: a just I knew I was Puerto Rican, and I 452 00:28:03,320 --> 00:28:04,360 Speaker 14: was always proud of that. 453 00:28:05,080 --> 00:28:08,320 Speaker 3: Rosa began to look for spaces that were intentionally built 454 00:28:08,520 --> 00:28:11,840 Speaker 3: for her and her Afro Black communities, which is very 455 00:28:11,880 --> 00:28:16,200 Speaker 3: different from institutions that simply just make room. She says, 456 00:28:16,240 --> 00:28:17,600 Speaker 3: you can always tell the difference. 457 00:28:19,280 --> 00:28:21,560 Speaker 14: I love going to museums a part of me. When 458 00:28:21,600 --> 00:28:24,600 Speaker 14: I walk into them, I look at what's on the wall, 459 00:28:24,680 --> 00:28:27,159 Speaker 14: and then I go, who's not here? And that's how 460 00:28:27,200 --> 00:28:29,159 Speaker 14: I feel this museum is going to be. It's going 461 00:28:29,240 --> 00:28:32,480 Speaker 14: to open one day and fifteen million of us are 462 00:28:32,520 --> 00:28:34,760 Speaker 14: going to walk in and be like, where are we? 463 00:28:37,200 --> 00:28:39,600 Speaker 3: That's why she felt she had to call out the Smithsonian. 464 00:28:40,480 --> 00:28:42,640 Speaker 3: Earlier this year, Rosa wrote an op ed for the 465 00:28:42,640 --> 00:28:45,560 Speaker 3: new site Latino Rebels, which, like this show, is a 466 00:28:45,560 --> 00:28:50,160 Speaker 3: futuro media property. Her piece was titled Afro Black LATINX 467 00:28:50,200 --> 00:28:53,760 Speaker 3: People the Missing Pieces of National Museum of the American Latino. 468 00:28:54,520 --> 00:28:57,400 Speaker 3: Rosa was concerned that the stewards of this new museum 469 00:28:57,480 --> 00:29:01,680 Speaker 3: were excluding Afro Black, Latino, Latino and LATINX history and 470 00:29:01,800 --> 00:29:06,160 Speaker 3: input in this space. She drew that conclusion after learning 471 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:08,920 Speaker 3: that a lot of folks who were publicly advocating for 472 00:29:08,960 --> 00:29:13,400 Speaker 3: the museum did not identify as black or Afro Latinx themselves. 473 00:29:14,480 --> 00:29:19,440 Speaker 14: There's sixty five millions LATINX people potentially. Now imagine if 474 00:29:19,440 --> 00:29:21,960 Speaker 14: one out of every four of us identified as black, 475 00:29:22,000 --> 00:29:25,680 Speaker 14: that's fifteen million of us. They fundamentally know they can't 476 00:29:25,840 --> 00:29:30,440 Speaker 14: move forward without us. They want us, without us having 477 00:29:30,600 --> 00:29:35,200 Speaker 14: any politic or power in these discussions and the work itself. 478 00:29:35,920 --> 00:29:39,200 Speaker 3: Shortly after rosa zoped was published, the National Museum of 479 00:29:39,240 --> 00:29:42,160 Speaker 3: the American Latino reached out to Latino Repels and to 480 00:29:42,280 --> 00:29:45,720 Speaker 3: Rossa to respond and to add a clarification. They said 481 00:29:45,720 --> 00:29:48,880 Speaker 3: that she specifically called out the board of an unaffiliated 482 00:29:48,920 --> 00:29:51,760 Speaker 3: advocacy group called Friends of the National Museum of the 483 00:29:51,800 --> 00:29:56,200 Speaker 3: American Latino. The advocacy group told Latino Usay that they 484 00:29:56,240 --> 00:29:59,280 Speaker 3: agree that inclusivity needs to be a priority one hundred 485 00:29:59,280 --> 00:30:02,719 Speaker 3: percent and they're working on opening their lines of communication 486 00:30:02,960 --> 00:30:05,280 Speaker 3: to see how they can improve in that area. But 487 00:30:05,360 --> 00:30:08,440 Speaker 3: they also said the question of inclusion and diversity will 488 00:30:08,520 --> 00:30:12,240 Speaker 3: ultimately be the responsibility of the Smithsonian. For her part, 489 00:30:12,560 --> 00:30:15,680 Speaker 3: whether it's an outside advocacy group or the real deal, 490 00:30:16,400 --> 00:30:19,479 Speaker 3: Rosa stands by her bigger picture critique. 491 00:30:19,240 --> 00:30:22,000 Speaker 14: Why do you need to differentiate if you are all 492 00:30:22,080 --> 00:30:26,080 Speaker 14: working towards creating this museum and making surance on the 493 00:30:26,200 --> 00:30:30,160 Speaker 14: mall in DC. Your cherry picking right now to try 494 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:33,480 Speaker 14: to break down my argument as opposed to dealing with 495 00:30:33,520 --> 00:30:34,800 Speaker 14: the issue at hand. 496 00:30:40,000 --> 00:30:42,720 Speaker 2: Leading the charge at the National Museum of the American 497 00:30:42,800 --> 00:30:47,240 Speaker 2: Latino is its new director, Jorge Zamanio. You heard from 498 00:30:47,320 --> 00:30:49,480 Speaker 2: him at the beginning of the show when he was 499 00:30:49,520 --> 00:30:53,360 Speaker 2: welcoming us to Precente before this. Has spent more than 500 00:30:53,400 --> 00:30:56,920 Speaker 2: twenty years at the History of Miami Museum, most recently 501 00:30:57,280 --> 00:31:01,600 Speaker 2: as its executive director. And see, oh now he's the 502 00:31:01,640 --> 00:31:05,040 Speaker 2: director of a museum that doesn't even physically exist yet, 503 00:31:05,240 --> 00:31:10,080 Speaker 2: so if you can imagine, his responsibilities are already pretty substantial. 504 00:31:10,600 --> 00:31:13,000 Speaker 5: You have to raise hundreds of millions of dollars, You 505 00:31:13,120 --> 00:31:16,440 Speaker 5: have to travel across the United States collecting stories and 506 00:31:16,600 --> 00:31:19,640 Speaker 5: artifacts and objects along with your team. Of course, you 507 00:31:19,680 --> 00:31:21,479 Speaker 5: know you need to consider all those things. 508 00:31:22,000 --> 00:31:24,960 Speaker 2: We interviewed him a few weeks before he officially became 509 00:31:25,200 --> 00:31:29,000 Speaker 2: executive director of the Museum of the American Latino That 510 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:31,840 Speaker 2: was back in May. We asked him about his plans 511 00:31:31,840 --> 00:31:35,080 Speaker 2: to address the wide range and scope of the LATINX 512 00:31:35,120 --> 00:31:40,520 Speaker 2: community in the museum, including matters of race, nationality, and gender. 513 00:31:41,360 --> 00:31:43,920 Speaker 2: He said he's aware of the matter, but he didn't 514 00:31:43,960 --> 00:31:46,240 Speaker 2: really have a specific game plan yet. 515 00:31:46,480 --> 00:31:49,920 Speaker 5: We know that Latino community is not a monolithic group, right, 516 00:31:50,480 --> 00:31:54,520 Speaker 5: different backgrounds and different needs, and that's really important. So 517 00:31:54,920 --> 00:31:57,240 Speaker 5: the team and I are really going to cover as 518 00:31:57,240 --> 00:32:00,120 Speaker 5: many things as possible and many topics to try to 519 00:32:00,200 --> 00:32:02,800 Speaker 5: explore what needs to be told and how's presented, because 520 00:32:02,800 --> 00:32:06,000 Speaker 5: it's tough, you know, you don't have space for everything. 521 00:32:06,040 --> 00:32:08,520 Speaker 2: What hit also said that he's working with staff from 522 00:32:08,560 --> 00:32:11,920 Speaker 2: the former Latino Center who have now joined the museum. 523 00:32:12,240 --> 00:32:16,160 Speaker 2: For years, they've developed content and work with Smithsonian Museums 524 00:32:16,240 --> 00:32:18,920 Speaker 2: on exhibitions, and Horgue says that a lot of the 525 00:32:18,920 --> 00:32:22,880 Speaker 2: foundational work has already been underway thanks to them. To 526 00:32:22,960 --> 00:32:25,760 Speaker 2: build off that work, what Hit talked about creating a 527 00:32:25,840 --> 00:32:29,760 Speaker 2: widely accessible institution, that's a big priority for him. 528 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:32,600 Speaker 5: I want our presence to be throughout the United States 529 00:32:32,600 --> 00:32:35,160 Speaker 5: and Latino communities. So that's going to be a new 530 00:32:35,200 --> 00:32:37,880 Speaker 5: way we develop a museum where we take it out 531 00:32:37,920 --> 00:32:41,640 Speaker 5: into communities across the United States, maybe as satellite exhibits, 532 00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:46,040 Speaker 5: maybe as travelers, and ways to engage different communities, especially 533 00:32:46,120 --> 00:32:49,160 Speaker 5: those that cannot make the trip to DC. How are 534 00:32:49,160 --> 00:32:51,280 Speaker 5: they going to experience this and how are they going 535 00:32:51,320 --> 00:32:53,120 Speaker 5: to share their story? So that's what we need to 536 00:32:53,160 --> 00:32:54,640 Speaker 5: figure out over the next few years. 537 00:32:55,040 --> 00:32:57,680 Speaker 2: We also ask here about his vision for the museum 538 00:32:57,920 --> 00:32:58,840 Speaker 2: in the long term. 539 00:32:58,960 --> 00:33:00,960 Speaker 5: It's going to be a vision that's developed not only 540 00:33:01,000 --> 00:33:03,840 Speaker 5: by the team and myself, but really by talking to 541 00:33:03,880 --> 00:33:06,800 Speaker 5: people and challenging ourselves. What can we do better than 542 00:33:06,840 --> 00:33:09,760 Speaker 5: other museums find these stories of wise museum matters right? 543 00:33:09,800 --> 00:33:11,600 Speaker 5: And how do we make sure that this Latino history 544 00:33:11,640 --> 00:33:13,560 Speaker 5: is American history. That's going to be a challenge and 545 00:33:13,560 --> 00:33:15,080 Speaker 5: I don't have the answer for it right now what 546 00:33:15,200 --> 00:33:18,000 Speaker 5: that main vision is, but it's gonna be fun to explore. 547 00:33:18,560 --> 00:33:22,280 Speaker 2: The museum is currently a work in progress, but overall 548 00:33:22,640 --> 00:33:25,200 Speaker 2: it seems that there are still way more questions than 549 00:33:25,280 --> 00:33:27,719 Speaker 2: answers about the future of this space. 550 00:33:32,320 --> 00:33:36,320 Speaker 3: For Rosa, it still feels disingenuous to have an institution 551 00:33:36,480 --> 00:33:39,600 Speaker 3: like the Smithsonian, one with a history of centering whiteness 552 00:33:39,600 --> 00:33:43,320 Speaker 3: and colonialism, claim to be prioritizing diversity. 553 00:33:43,880 --> 00:33:47,600 Speaker 14: Ultimately, Museum Shop is to make sure that every story, 554 00:33:47,680 --> 00:33:49,920 Speaker 14: whether bad or good, is told. 555 00:33:50,200 --> 00:33:51,720 Speaker 4: Whether we were. 556 00:33:51,600 --> 00:33:54,960 Speaker 14: Excluded one time and now we're not. So those are 557 00:33:54,960 --> 00:33:58,880 Speaker 14: the things that I also think people are grappingly with 558 00:33:59,080 --> 00:34:02,000 Speaker 14: in a way. But also we have to be careful 559 00:34:02,200 --> 00:34:06,160 Speaker 14: how much time we spend begging people to include us. 560 00:34:06,760 --> 00:34:09,400 Speaker 3: Rosa says she doesn't want to feel like a visual prop, 561 00:34:09,680 --> 00:34:12,560 Speaker 3: and she has a point. The Molina Gallery, the new 562 00:34:12,600 --> 00:34:16,120 Speaker 3: state of the art space holding the Precenta exhibition, is 563 00:34:16,160 --> 00:34:20,280 Speaker 3: only about forty five hundred square feet in size. Compare 564 00:34:20,320 --> 00:34:23,360 Speaker 3: that to the three hundred and twenty five thousand square 565 00:34:23,400 --> 00:34:26,640 Speaker 3: feet available to the public in the entire Museum of 566 00:34:26,680 --> 00:34:30,239 Speaker 3: American History. It's just a little bit more than one 567 00:34:30,320 --> 00:34:34,680 Speaker 3: percent of the total space of this massive building dedicated 568 00:34:34,680 --> 00:34:39,560 Speaker 3: to American history and culture. Considering Latinos represent nineteen percent 569 00:34:39,719 --> 00:34:43,200 Speaker 3: of the US population. It's telling that a space like 570 00:34:43,239 --> 00:34:48,360 Speaker 3: this completely dedicated to Latinos and Latinas never existed in 571 00:34:48,440 --> 00:34:56,640 Speaker 3: this particular museum to begin with. According to Rosa, if 572 00:34:56,680 --> 00:34:59,480 Speaker 3: only elite, non black folks are involved from the start, 573 00:35:00,080 --> 00:35:02,720 Speaker 3: all you're doing is building an elite non black museum. 574 00:35:03,400 --> 00:35:06,800 Speaker 3: Any talk of inclusion or diversity after that just feels 575 00:35:06,840 --> 00:35:07,799 Speaker 3: like lip service to her. 576 00:35:08,920 --> 00:35:13,160 Speaker 14: The reality is the entire experience of the American Latino 577 00:35:13,520 --> 00:35:17,919 Speaker 14: is rooted in black and brownness. That should be the 578 00:35:17,960 --> 00:35:22,160 Speaker 14: center's part, and everything gets built from that, not throwing 579 00:35:22,280 --> 00:35:26,360 Speaker 14: us in because some people are speaking out or somebody 580 00:35:26,520 --> 00:35:29,520 Speaker 14: was like, wait a minute, everybody here, There is not 581 00:35:29,640 --> 00:35:32,600 Speaker 14: one Afro black Latino person represented. 582 00:35:32,760 --> 00:35:36,719 Speaker 3: As Precente, and the museum gained momentum. More people are 583 00:35:36,760 --> 00:35:40,680 Speaker 3: getting vocal with their thoughts. Outlets including The Hill and 584 00:35:40,880 --> 00:35:45,640 Speaker 3: All American, published conservative reviews of Precente, criticizing what authors 585 00:35:45,680 --> 00:35:48,640 Speaker 3: identified as a streak of radical leftism in the show. 586 00:35:48,960 --> 00:35:52,279 Speaker 3: They said Precente failed to condemn left wing dictatorships in 587 00:35:52,320 --> 00:35:56,840 Speaker 3: Latin America and left out Latinx contributions to the US military. 588 00:35:57,400 --> 00:36:00,640 Speaker 3: They also took issue with its quote unquote woke take 589 00:36:00,719 --> 00:36:05,080 Speaker 3: on American expansionism as a successor to Spanish colonialism. One 590 00:36:05,120 --> 00:36:08,400 Speaker 3: piece even called for Congress to revoke its funding for 591 00:36:08,480 --> 00:36:15,520 Speaker 3: the National Museum of the American Latino entirely. Earlier this year, 592 00:36:15,640 --> 00:36:19,120 Speaker 3: the museum announced the formation of a scholarly advisory committee. 593 00:36:19,239 --> 00:36:22,840 Speaker 3: Eighteen prominent LATINX academics from across the country joined the council, 594 00:36:23,120 --> 00:36:26,200 Speaker 3: bringing their expertise in a range of topics such as 595 00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:31,440 Speaker 3: literature and journalism, politics and law, LGBTQ issues, Central American migration, 596 00:36:31,920 --> 00:36:36,400 Speaker 3: Mexican American identity, the African diaspora, Caribbean history, and the 597 00:36:36,440 --> 00:36:40,560 Speaker 3: list goes on. Their job formerly is to review exhibitions 598 00:36:40,600 --> 00:36:43,320 Speaker 3: and help guide the vision Jorge was talking about earlier, 599 00:36:44,000 --> 00:36:47,080 Speaker 3: but we're not sure exactly how their work will manifest 600 00:36:47,400 --> 00:36:51,920 Speaker 3: and how influential their input will actually be. The opportunity 601 00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:55,520 Speaker 3: at hand is unique, a museum by about and four 602 00:36:55,600 --> 00:36:59,759 Speaker 3: Latinxes on one of the nation's biggest platforms. No single 603 00:36:59,800 --> 00:37:03,160 Speaker 3: means museum will ever satisfy everyone, but if this is 604 00:37:03,160 --> 00:37:06,400 Speaker 3: to be a truly representative museum of the American Latino, 605 00:37:06,920 --> 00:37:08,920 Speaker 3: we must keep holding it to that standard. 606 00:37:08,960 --> 00:37:21,400 Speaker 2: Anyway, the National Mall in DC is bustling today. Tourists 607 00:37:21,440 --> 00:37:24,759 Speaker 2: are walking around with their families, People in suits are 608 00:37:24,760 --> 00:37:28,200 Speaker 2: making their way back to work after lunch. Cars zoom 609 00:37:28,239 --> 00:37:31,520 Speaker 2: past us. There's also an ice cream truck park kind 610 00:37:31,520 --> 00:37:34,960 Speaker 2: of close by, and it's blasting its music. It's around 611 00:37:35,000 --> 00:37:37,920 Speaker 2: noon and the sun is out and bright and hot. 612 00:37:38,280 --> 00:37:41,280 Speaker 2: But Aleh and I sit down anyway under the shade 613 00:37:41,360 --> 00:37:44,200 Speaker 2: of a large tree. Have you been to the mall before? 614 00:37:44,960 --> 00:37:48,520 Speaker 2: I have, But like, as like a tourist, so like 615 00:37:48,640 --> 00:37:50,920 Speaker 2: I'm always when I come to DC, I'm like, well, 616 00:37:50,920 --> 00:37:52,880 Speaker 2: what is actually in the mall? You know what I mean? Like, 617 00:37:53,160 --> 00:37:55,560 Speaker 2: I'm not like to too. Like, we just walked out 618 00:37:55,560 --> 00:37:58,839 Speaker 2: of Ercente and took a fifteen minute long stroll up 619 00:37:58,880 --> 00:38:01,240 Speaker 2: the mall to reach this particular spot. 620 00:38:01,520 --> 00:38:06,120 Speaker 15: This is the plot where a lot of advocates, including 621 00:38:06,120 --> 00:38:10,480 Speaker 15: folks of the Smithsonian, want the Museum of the American 622 00:38:10,560 --> 00:38:13,160 Speaker 15: Latino to stand. It's not the biggest plot of land, 623 00:38:13,280 --> 00:38:16,160 Speaker 15: but it's like it's kind of an iconic setting. Right 624 00:38:16,160 --> 00:38:20,239 Speaker 15: here in front of me is the Washington Monument, and 625 00:38:20,280 --> 00:38:22,960 Speaker 15: then right across the way, almost. 626 00:38:22,600 --> 00:38:27,280 Speaker 6: Like poetically, is the National Museum of African American History 627 00:38:27,280 --> 00:38:27,760 Speaker 6: and culture. 628 00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:31,320 Speaker 2: This isn't the only site that's being considered for the museum. 629 00:38:32,080 --> 00:38:34,160 Speaker 2: There's a spot adjacent to the Senate side of the 630 00:38:34,200 --> 00:38:37,720 Speaker 2: Capitol Building too. Some people have toyed with the idea 631 00:38:37,800 --> 00:38:42,319 Speaker 2: of refurbishing some existing buildings, like the Smithsonian's Arts and 632 00:38:42,480 --> 00:38:46,440 Speaker 2: Industries building, or even the Department of Agriculture, which is 633 00:38:46,480 --> 00:38:50,200 Speaker 2: the only federal agency on the National Mall and is 634 00:38:50,239 --> 00:38:55,640 Speaker 2: housed in this giant, elegant building. This spot, though it's 635 00:38:55,719 --> 00:39:00,319 Speaker 2: calm and it's right in the middle of everything, was 636 00:39:00,320 --> 00:39:02,360 Speaker 2: to happen here, I feel a lot of the people 637 00:39:02,360 --> 00:39:05,799 Speaker 2: that we've spoken with would almost feel like, you know, 638 00:39:06,200 --> 00:39:09,319 Speaker 2: mission accomplished, you know, to really have it here in 639 00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:13,280 Speaker 2: the center at the National Mall, accessible for everyone. 640 00:39:13,400 --> 00:39:15,680 Speaker 6: There's a right now, there's like a little trail, there's 641 00:39:15,680 --> 00:39:17,200 Speaker 6: a lot of old trees. 642 00:39:17,120 --> 00:39:20,520 Speaker 3: All around, and it's kind of it's. 643 00:39:20,600 --> 00:39:22,399 Speaker 6: Very peaceful and kind of lovely the way it is. 644 00:39:22,760 --> 00:39:25,120 Speaker 6: But this is kind of the spot that could maybe 645 00:39:25,160 --> 00:39:26,920 Speaker 6: have newt life in the future. 646 00:39:30,640 --> 00:39:33,640 Speaker 2: As Ala and I sit here taking it in, we 647 00:39:33,760 --> 00:39:37,960 Speaker 2: feel all the potential this place holds. If the Latino 648 00:39:38,080 --> 00:39:41,800 Speaker 2: Museum is built here, it could represent the national scale 649 00:39:41,840 --> 00:39:48,600 Speaker 2: recognition Latinx's have deserved and demanded of the Smithsonian. We're 650 00:39:48,640 --> 00:39:53,000 Speaker 2: also left with so many questions, questions that can only 651 00:39:53,040 --> 00:39:56,279 Speaker 2: be answered with time. Yes, it's going to take a 652 00:39:56,320 --> 00:39:59,359 Speaker 2: decade to bring this space to life, and we will 653 00:39:59,400 --> 00:40:03,160 Speaker 2: continue to hold the Smithsonian accountable to creating a museum 654 00:40:03,600 --> 00:40:07,520 Speaker 2: that is honest and thoroughly inclusive of the LATINX community. 655 00:40:08,239 --> 00:40:11,960 Speaker 2: But this is also a massive institution with the history 656 00:40:11,960 --> 00:40:17,440 Speaker 2: of exclusion, and after decades of wilful neglect, some skepticism 657 00:40:17,920 --> 00:40:22,120 Speaker 2: is warranted. Can we trust that they'll get this right? 658 00:40:26,680 --> 00:40:29,840 Speaker 1: And dear listener. Since this story first aired in twenty 659 00:40:29,880 --> 00:40:33,520 Speaker 1: twenty two, the National Museum of the American Latino has 660 00:40:33,600 --> 00:40:35,400 Speaker 1: been recently in the news. 661 00:40:36,200 --> 00:40:37,440 Speaker 4: Edward Blum, the. 662 00:40:37,400 --> 00:40:41,799 Speaker 1: Man known for his successful push to end affirmative action 663 00:40:42,040 --> 00:40:46,120 Speaker 1: at colleges in the United States, filed a lawsuit against 664 00:40:46,200 --> 00:40:50,759 Speaker 1: the director of the Latino Museum. Blum claimed that the 665 00:40:50,840 --> 00:40:55,640 Speaker 1: Latino Museum's internship program was discriminatory and that it had 666 00:40:55,719 --> 00:40:59,680 Speaker 1: violated the Constitution because the museum had not had a 667 00:40:59,800 --> 00:41:04,400 Speaker 1: non Latino intern during its two years of existence. The 668 00:41:04,480 --> 00:41:08,880 Speaker 1: lawsuit was just settled this past March, with the museum 669 00:41:08,960 --> 00:41:12,440 Speaker 1: saying that its program is quote equally open to students 670 00:41:12,480 --> 00:41:30,080 Speaker 1: of all races and ethnicities end quote. This episode was 671 00:41:30,080 --> 00:41:33,799 Speaker 1: produced by Alejandra Salasad and Renaldo Leanos Junior. It was 672 00:41:33,920 --> 00:41:37,440 Speaker 1: edited by Andre Lopez Cruzado and mixed by Andy Bosnak. 673 00:41:37,960 --> 00:41:41,320 Speaker 1: Fact checking for this episode by Elisa Baena. The Latino 674 00:41:41,440 --> 00:41:46,520 Speaker 1: USA team also includes Victoria Estrada, Dori mar Marquez, Marta Martinez, 675 00:41:46,880 --> 00:41:51,279 Speaker 1: Mike Sargent, Nor Saudi, and Nancy Truquillo. BENILLEI Ramirez is 676 00:41:51,320 --> 00:41:55,960 Speaker 1: our co executive producer. Our director of Engineering is Stephanie Lebau. 677 00:41:56,120 --> 00:42:00,000 Speaker 1: Our senior engineer is Julia Carusso. Additional engineering support by 678 00:42:00,040 --> 00:42:03,880 Speaker 1: Gabriel Le Bias and JJ Krubin. Our marketing manager is 679 00:42:03,960 --> 00:42:07,800 Speaker 1: Luis Luna. Our theme music was composed by Sania Ruinos. 680 00:42:07,800 --> 00:42:10,880 Speaker 1: I'm your host and executive producer Maria Jojosa. Join us 681 00:42:10,880 --> 00:42:13,080 Speaker 1: again on our next episode. In the meantime, I'll see 682 00:42:13,080 --> 00:42:16,319 Speaker 1: you on all of our social media and remember none way, 683 00:42:16,360 --> 00:42:18,280 Speaker 1: Yes Bye. 684 00:42:19,960 --> 00:42:24,480 Speaker 16: Latino USA is made possible in part by the Heising 685 00:42:24,560 --> 00:42:31,720 Speaker 16: Simons Foundation Unlocking knowledge, opportunity and possibilities more at hsfoundation 686 00:42:31,960 --> 00:42:36,560 Speaker 16: dot org. The Ford Foundation working with visionaries on the 687 00:42:36,600 --> 00:42:41,719 Speaker 16: front lines of social change worldwide, and the William and 688 00:42:41,800 --> 00:42:47,520 Speaker 16: Flora Hewlett Foundation for more than fifty years, advancing ideas 689 00:42:47,800 --> 00:42:52,840 Speaker 16: and supporting institutions to promote a better world at Hewlett 690 00:42:52,920 --> 00:42:53,440 Speaker 16: dot org. 691 00:42:57,680 --> 00:43:00,719 Speaker 9: Oh thank you guys. You're so wonderful. Let me tell you, 692 00:43:02,000 --> 00:43:04,520 Speaker 9: I thought it was silly when you first said to 693 00:43:04,600 --> 00:43:06,719 Speaker 9: put this microphone. I thought, oh, you know, it's just 694 00:43:06,760 --> 00:43:08,520 Speaker 9: going to be the same kind of But I have 695 00:43:08,680 --> 00:43:10,760 Speaker 9: never used this system before. 696 00:43:11,480 --> 00:43:12,000 Speaker 2: Wow. 697 00:43:12,040 --> 00:43:14,200 Speaker 9: And the sound system that I hear in my ear, 698 00:43:14,760 --> 00:43:18,080 Speaker 9: it makes such a difference. So thank you for fussing 699 00:43:18,120 --> 00:43:21,120 Speaker 9: over this and making sure that we would have this 700 00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:22,000 Speaker 9: kind of setup. 701 00:43:22,280 --> 00:43:23,080 Speaker 2: It is great. 702 00:43:24,160 --> 00:43:27,279 Speaker 9: And now I'm gonna run to my three o'clock appointment.