The $900 billion coronavirus relief package includes more than $600 stimulus checks. In addition to approving $600 payouts for American citizens, the package also greenlights the creation of two new Smithsonian museums. The National Museum of the American Latino and Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum will soon come to the nation’s capital.
This is a big win for Latinos all across our country. We will finally have a Latino Museum that elevates our stories & history,” Sen. Bob Menendez said.
The new Smithsonian museums have both been in the works for years and have earned the support of many different Congress members. Rep. Carolyn Maloney called the legislation “historic.”
“How fitting that we pass this bill as we mark the centennial of the 19th Amendment and in the year in which we elected our first woman vice president,” she continued.
Sponsors of the bill presented the final push for the bill earlier this month in a letter outlining the importance of the museums. Most notably, lawmakers pointed out the lack of representation for women and Latinos in the current Smithsonian museums.
“Each museum within the Smithsonian tells a unique part of the collective history of America, but there are still so many parts left to be told. The National Museum of the American Latino and Smithsonian American Women’s History Museum will add rich, new perspectives to our American identity that simply cannot be found in Smithsonian museums today,” the letter stated.
At this time, there is no word as to when the museums will be built or opened.
