5 Things podcast: Controversy ignited over Smithsonian's Museum of the American Latino

On a special episode of the 5 Things podcast: The idea for a national museum dedicated to showcasing the artistic, musical, literary, political and other socio-economic contributions of Latino Americans was first discussed a quarter of a century ago. While the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino is still at least a decade away from completion, it’s already hit a snag. With a very diverse community of Latinos, conservative and liberal, having roots in Europe, Central America, South America and Africa, who controls the future of U.S. Latino history? In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, we take a look at the controversy with Maria Elena Salinas, a broadcast journalist and ABC News contributor, who has worked in Spanish-language television for much of her career.

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Hit play on the player above to hear the podcast and follow along with the transcript below. This transcript was automatically generated, and then edited for clarity in its current form. There may be some differences between the audio and the text.

Dana Taylor:

Hello and welcome to Five Things. I'm Dana Taylor. Today is Thursday, October 12th, 2023, and this is a special episode of Five Things. The idea for a national museum dedicated to showcasing the artistic, musical, literary, political, and other socioeconomic contributions of Latino Americans was first discussed a quarter of a century ago.

While the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino is still at least a decade away from getting its own home in Washington DC, it's already hit a snag. With a very diverse community of Latinos, conservative and liberal having roots in Europe, Central America, South America, and Africa, who controls the future of Latino history?

In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month we take a look inside the controversy ignited with a preview exhibit that opened more than a year ago. Our guest is Maria Elena Salinas, a broadcast journalist and ABC News contributor who has worked on Spanish language television for much of her career. Thanks for joining us, Maria Elena.

Maria Elena Salinas:

Dana, it's a pleasure to be with you.

Dana Taylor:

Okay. Let's dig right in. This museum was intended to celebrate Latino contributions to US history. And so as a prelude to the full museum, the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History is hosting a preview exhibit. What's all the fuss about?

Maria Elena Salinas:

I don't really understand why there are complaints. I think it's something to be celebrated. The Molina Gallery is not necessarily the Latino Museum. It can be considered a precursor to the Latino Museum, but it was not designed to be a small version of the Latino Museum. It's very small compared to what it will be. And as you said, it will take at least 10 years.

We have heard a couple of the complaints that it doesn't accurately portray the history of Latinos. From what I understand, it came from some Cuban American legislators who opposed a caption on [inaudible 00:01:59]. It's a raft that is exhibited at the Molina Gallery where it says that Cubans have come here due to economic woes, and they wanted it to include that it was because of communism and political oppression. And what I was told is that that particular raft that is in the exhibit is from a more recent journey. And as we know, the newest migration from Cuba is coming here for economic reasons. However, the caption was changed.

Another complaint that I heard is that it depicts Hispanics as victims and doesn't reflect that the country has embraced and welcomed them. But two things can be true at the same time. No, they were, and in some instances still are victims of oppression. Many immigrants have found their American dream in our country, but we can't forget that there was a time where there were businesses in the border region where there were signs that said, "No dogs or Mexicans allowed." They had separate bathrooms. They were segregated in schools in the Southwest.

Yes, they can be victims. We can't ignore that. But we also have a lot of heroes. We have a lot of Latinos that have done amazing things for a country that have thrived and paved the way for the growth of the Latino community. But our community is so diverse that I think it's difficult to keep everyone happy. It's just tough to hear politics coming into it.

Dana Taylor:

Okay. Let's take a step back and look at the issue from 30,000 feet. This battle over whose history is told to an international audience, is this just part of the larger culture wars?

Maria Elena Salinas:

I think it is right now. I think we're at a bad time where anything and everything is politicized, religion is politicized, books are politicized, everything is politicized. It is part of this culture of wars that we are going through. But one thing we need to remember is that nobody really owns the history of Latinos, but Latinos. And we have very deep roots here.

I am not saying this as a talking point, but Latino history is American history. I'm not here talking on behalf of the museum, but just on behalf of someone who was born here who is part of this country, I am the daughter of Mexican immigrants, just like millions and millions of Latinos. But through my work, I have seen the Latino community grow.

When I started working in Spanish language television back in 1981, there were 14 million Latinos in this country. Now there's over 62 million Latinos in the country. We have grown in many ways and not just in numbers. We've grown in so many ways. We've grown in influence. And you can't deny the roots that we have here.

Dana Taylor:

Maria Elena, why is this museum so important? What are the museum's ultimate goals and how has it been received by visitors so far?

Maria Elena Salinas:

We are such an important part of American history. And I'm going to repeat this because I think a lot of people don't realize that Spanish was spoken before English. In the 1500s the Spaniards came to the US, almost 100 years before the pilgrims came to the US. The only language that was spoken before Spanish was Native American languages. And there's a lot of different dialects when it comes to Native American languages.

You can't talk about the history of America, of the United States without including the history of Latinos, the Spaniards, and also the Mexicans. We are the largest minority, but the second-largest group. After white Americans are Latino Americans. We just continue to grow. And the growth is no longer because of immigration. The growth is now because of people who are born here.

80% of Latinos in this country are US citizens. 60% of those are US born. The rest are naturalized Americans. It's important, and this is something that has bothered me for a long time, that we are not perceived as a community, as foreigners. We're not foreigners in our own country. We are Americans too.

I mean, you see our roots everywhere, all across the country, the names of the states, the names of the cities, the names of the streets, the food that we eat in this country. Americans eat our food, listen to our music, sometimes not even realizing where it comes from.

I think what has happened is that there is such a backlash against immigrants at this moment because of the crisis at the border. And it's a humanitarian crisis. It shouldn't be a political crisis. It's a humanitarian crisis that everyone just equates the Latino community with that situation at the border. When in fact, we have been here for so long and this shall pass.

I mean, immigrants will continue to come. Immigration is a natural phenomenon that has been happening for centuries. And not just in the United States, but all over the world.

Dana Taylor:

What do you think most non-Latino Americans don't get about Latino history and culture?

Maria Elena Salinas:

I think most non-Latino Americans don't know our history. But I asked this question to the Pew Research Center many years ago, and what they told me is that in areas in the country where white Americans live among immigrant families, they have a more positive view because they know them. And the ones that don't have a more negative view because everything that they learn about Latinos comes from politicians, from the media so they don't have a firsthand experience.

Dana Taylor:

Your career is one of seven spotlighted in an exhibit called ¡De última hora! affiliated with the Museum of the American Latino. It just opened to the public at the American History Museum. How does that exhibit help tell the story of Latino history in this country?

Maria Elena Salinas:

Of course I'm very honored to be one of seven women that are portrayed in that exhibit. I think that the way that it tells the story is that those of us who work in Spanish language media have been telling the Latino story to our audience for decades now. In my case, it's over four decades.

And when you watch mainstream media, you rarely see those types of stories. And we are not just reporting to Latinos, we're reporting about Latinos. One of the things that we have done in Spanish language media for decades now is inform Latinos of their rights, but also of their responsibilities. Help them understand what to some is their newly adopted country and how to navigate this newly adopted country. There is a social service component to the type of work that is done in Spanish language media.

And of course, each one of us that is portrayed in that exhibit have our own history and our own stories to tell. And I think you see that when you see the exhibit. One of us covered the 911 story. In my case, it was interviewing a historical figure at a historical time in Mexico. There was another one of my colleagues who was one of the first to moderate a democratic debate in both English and Spanish.

I think our story is also part of the story of journalism, but journalism toward the Latino community. I think if mainstream media covers some of the stories we've covered, you wouldn't be asking the question of what is it that mainstream Americans don't understand about the Latino community, because they would know, because those are the types of stories that we cover.

Dana Taylor:

You're also a founding member of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists. How did you bring people together to determine a mission and funding for that organization? And what parallels do you see between NAHJ and Smithsonian's National Museum of the American Latino?

Maria Elena Salinas:

The National Association of Hispanic Journalists was formed almost 40 years ago. We're about to celebrate our 40th year. And since its founding, the main mission was always to bring together journalists from across the country who serve a diverse audience, to support each other in our careers, to support more Latinos in newsrooms, but also to make sure that the stories of Latino Americans and immigrants are portrayed in a positive light.

Many years ago, it used to be that journalists of color sometimes were not allowed to cover their own communities because they were perceived as being one-sided or that they would be skewed. But now I think that has changed. I think now newsrooms are beginning to understand that our perspective and our understanding and the cultural identity that we feel with these communities makes for a better story.

Dana Taylor:

What do you hope people listening to this interview walk away with?

Maria Elena Salinas:

Just how much the Latino community contributes to America. I can summarize that by my own life story because I grew up bilingual and bicultural. I grew up being very proud of my country, which is the United States, but also very proud of my cultural heritage, which was from Mexico. And it's okay to be proud of your roots and to understand that we are Americans too. And that we should be treated as such and that our contributions should be treated as such, and that there's a lot to celebrate.

Dana Taylor:

What's next for this National Museum of the American Latino fight, Maria? Where are we politically and with funding?

Maria Elena Salinas:

From what I understand in recent interviews that I have done, not just with the director of the museum, but also with some Latino legislators in Congress, is that it seems that we've gotten past the political challenges, and now it's all about the money. The funding has been approved by Congress for both the Latino Museum and the Women's Museum. They were approved at the same time.

And then the challenge will be for the museum to raise the same amount of money, and we have 10 years to raise it. And also, one of the battles is to make sure that both the Women's Museum and the Latino Museum are located in a place that is symbolically important and significant to what we represent to this country, which is on the National Mall. That is probably a bigger challenge than the funds because the funds have already been approved.

The Women's Museum deserves to be on the National Mall. The Latino Museum deserves to be on the National Mall, and that's a battle that our Latino legislators in Congress are fighting. And the supporters, of course of the Latino community are also fighting. And I have a very positive outlook on that. I believe it will happen, and I believe that I will be there on opening day. I might need a cane. I'm not sure if I need to go, but I know that I will hear a mariachi as I walk in, and I will be received with a margarita.

Dana Taylor:

Maria Elena Salinas has an ABC News special out this month called Hispanic Heritage Month, Entre Nos, on the Smithsonian Controversy. The special is now streaming on Hulu. Maria Elena, thanks for joining me.

Maria Elena Salinas:

Thank you, Dana, it's a pleasure.

Dana Taylor:

Thanks to our senior producer, Shannon Rae Green, for production assistance. Our executive producer is Laura Beatty. Let us know what you think of this episode by sending a note to [email protected]. Thanks for listening. I'm Dana Taylor. Taylor Wilson will be back tomorrow morning with another episode of Five Things.