Friends of the American Latino Museum (FRIENDS), a national advocacy campaign striving to create a Smithsonian National American Latino Museum, named Luis Spinola to their national board. His addition comes after a pivotal year for the campaign with the passage of the National Museum of the American Latino Act in December of 2020, which officially establishes the museum within the Smithsonian Institution. The next two years of the campaign will consist of securing the best location for the museum on the National Mall and reaching a fundraising goal of $350 million for design and construction. The museum will commemorate over 500 years of American Latino contributions to the nation’s military, sciences, economic power, civil rights, and the arts. The Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino strives to create a museum in our nation’s capital to educate, inspire and encourage respect and understanding of the richness and diversity of the American Latino experience within the U.S. and its territories by highlighting the contributions made by Latino leaders, pioneers, and communities to the American way of life. As the largest ethnic group in the nation with arguably the oldest ties to the founding of this nation, the organization has a compelling case for moving onto the iconic National Mall and joining the many prestigious institutions that welcome the over 30 million tourists and residents each year to present our American story.
Learn more about the goals of the museum at www.americanlatinomuseum.org