Group urges creation of national Hispanic museum.

By Lesley Clark
lclark@MiamiHerald.com

WASHINGTON -- A national commission whose members include actress Eva Longoria and musician Emilio Estefan is recommending the creation of a National Museum of the American Latino to recognize the contributions of Hispanics to the American experience.

The commission — which studied the feasibility of such a museum for a year and presented its findings Thursday — recommends to Congress that the museum be built on the National Mall as part of the Smithsonian Institution.

"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," said commission chairman Henry Munoz. "There must also be a living monument that recognizes that Latinos were here well before 1776 and that in this new century, the future is increasingly Latino."

Beyond a staging area for artifacts, the commission calls for a "a 21st Century learning laboratory rooted in the mission that every American should have access to the stories of all Americans."

The facility is estimated to cost $600 million and would be paid through a 50-50 split of private donations and tax dollars.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/2011/05/05/2 ... qus_thread#ixzz1LWHU4Ww2