USHBC Commends Arts and Industries Building as Home for National Museum of the American Latino

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, September 2, 2026 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Smithsonian Board of Regents designated the Arts and Industries Building on the National Mall as the permanent location for the National Museum of the American Latino. This concludes the site-selection process for the museum, which Congress authorized in 2020, and followed decades of advocacy and bipartisan support. The United States Hispanic Business Council (USHBC) applauds the Smithsonian’s decision, and looks forward to continuing to support the project until its completion.

Javier Palomarez, USHBC President and CEO, released the following statement:

“This decision marks a milestone thirty years in the making. The permanent National Museum of the American Latino will stand alongside some of the most historic buildings in our country, a testament to the contributions of Hispanics to American society, past, present, and future. Generations of families will walk through those doors and see themselves reflected in the history of our great nation.”

The USHBC has long supported the establishment of a permanent museum on the National Mall. In April 2025, in coordination with a coalition of Hispanic chambers of commerce, the USHBC penned letters to President Trump and congressional leadership petitioning for a home to be found for the museum on the National Mall. The USHBC is proud to have stood with a bipartisan group in the 119th Congress advocating for a permanent home for the museum on the National Mall, and gives thanks to the support and effort provided by Congressmen Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Nanette Barragán (D-CA), and by Senators Alex Padilla (D-CA), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Bernie Moreno (R-OH), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), and Ruben Gallego (D-AZ), and others.

Javier continued by saying:

“Our work isn’t finished. Raising the funds to transform a century-and-a-half old building into a modern museum that properly conveys and honors the contributions of Hispanics to American society will require tireless work. But knowing where the museum will stand is an accomplishment on its own, and hopefully motivation for everyone who has fought so hard for this day to come to see the project through to its opening day.”

The USHBC remains committed to working with the Smithsonian Institution, Congress, and private-sector partners to support the next steps in the National Museum of the American Latino’s development.

For more information about the USHBC’s previous advocacy for the museum’s permanent location, read this letter to congressional leadership and this letter to President
Trump, signed by the USHBC and a coalition of Hispanic business organizations.

To learn more, follow @myushbc and @JPalomarez on X.
Visit ushbc.com/join to become a member today.

About the USHBC
Javier Palomarez is the President & CEO of the United States Hispanic Business Council
(USHBC). The United States Hispanic Business Council (USHBC) is the leading voice for the
Hispanic business community. A 501(c)6 non-profit organization, the USHBC focuses on
improving access to contracting in the public and private sectors, fair representation of
Hispanics in business, media, and politics, and ensuring Hispanics have a voice in the national dialogue. The USHBC is a nonpartisan organization.

Katherine Machado O'Hara
The Oxígeno Project
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