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The growing controversy over the planned Latino Museum at the Smithsonian Institution highlights a lack of trust in the organization’s ability to present an unbiased history. The recent revelation that two radical professors were hired to create a preliminary exhibit aimed at questioning capitalism further solidifies this perception. After facing criticism that the first exhibit had Marxist undertones, the second exhibit was suspended. As critics of the museum, we are pleased that our concerns were acknowledged, but it is disheartening to see our fears confirmed. It is evident that the National Museum of the American Latino has been designed to promote a left-leaning perspective of Hispanic experiences in the United States, and it is imperative that Congress discontinues support for this project.
One need only look at the 18-member Scholarly Advisory Committee responsible for reviewing all exhibits at the museum to understand its agenda. Dominated by woke professors, researchers, and activists, who focus on culturally Marxist concepts such as critical race theory, gender theory, and queer theory, it is clear that the museum will not be a platform for art and history, but a breeding ground for grievance and resentment towards the United States. The first exhibit, “Presente! A Latino History of the United States,” which opened in June 2022 at the National History Museum, confirmed our suspicions about the museum’s intentions.
Details about the second exhibit, which was meant to explore civil rights, further illustrate the museum’s biased agenda. In an article by Time Magazine, it was revealed that two scholars, Felipe Hinojosa of Baylor University and Johanna Fernandez of Baruch College, had spent two years working on the exhibit before being told to cease and desist by the Smithsonian. The reason given was that their exhibit would interfere with funding. While the Smithsonian did confirm the suspension of the exhibit, they mentioned that a new exhibit on salsa and Latin music is in the works.
It is unfortunate that the Latino Museum has become a battleground in the culture wars. With Hispanics now comprising nearly one-fifth of the U.S. population, it is no surprise that this community has become a target for ideological conflicts. However, it is dangerous for professors like Hinojosa and Fernandez, as well as the members of the Scholarly Advisory Committee, to have control over how the history of Hispanic immigrants is portrayed. Taxpayers should not fund an effort to divide America.
Looking closer at Fernandez and Hinojosa, it becomes clear that they have particular political leanings that further support the notion of a biased museum. Fernandez is a socialist who advocates for the release of cop-killer Mumia Abu-Jamal. She has edited a prison book written by Mumia and has expressed support for his critique of the state and capitalism. On the other hand, Hinojosa sympathizes with Latin America’s Liberation Theology, which calls for the church to be an instrument of mobilization and revolution to disrupt societal structures. He rejects assimilation and believes in the preservation of Hispanic separateness within the U.S.
While Hispanics have been drifting towards conservative values and progressivism is losing ground, it is clear that the Smithsonian is desperate to recruit Hispanics into the victimhood narrative. Congress initially recognized this issue when the House Appropriations Committee reduced funding for the museum. However, promises were made by Smithsonian leaders that they had rectified the situation. We now know that those promises were false, and it is essential for Members of Congress to understand that they were misled. The museum remains under the control of woke academic elites who seek to push their agenda on Hispanics.
Written by Alfonso Aguilar, President of the Latino Partnership for Conservative Principles.
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