Acknowledging Latino Communities

Chicago’s two museums celebrate Latino communities by displaying treasures every day. On October 25, the Chicago History Museum is hosting a show called “Aqui en Chicago,” which will run for a year to display Latino cultural traditions.This idea was raised by high school students who were on a class field trip and argued that there was not enough representation of Hispanic history.

Acknowledging the Latino community is very important, as they make up a significant part of the U.S. Lilia Fernandez, a professor of history at the University of Illinois Chicago, said, “There’s a long history that’s been overlooked.” Latinos have been important to the U.S. for decades. There were significant numbers of Latinos for the U.S. workforce. There were also high population numbers during the early 20th century and World War II.

In the 1880s, Mexican immigrants first started to arrive in America. They mostly came to make railways for the Chinese Exclusion Act, which didn’t allow the immigration of Chinese laborers. Cesareo Moreno, The National Museum of Mexican Art’s chief custodian and visual arts director, said, “The exhibition is going to be about the lives of the people who built, worked to maintain, and lived along the train tracks.” The railway workers once helped create murals to show Mexican heritage. Later, the National Museum of Mexican Art and the Institution of Justice and Leadership Academy were built in the same location.

The exhibition was thoughtfully created. Cecilia Beaven, an artist and muralist from Mexico city, helped design “Aqui en Chicago.” She created a vibrant color palette with colors that were commonly used in Latin American art. The specific colors came from many different natural pigments. She painted many murals in the museum, some of which included ideas of identity, resistance, and public protests.

Since there were protests about the lack of representation of the Latino community, The Chicago History Museum and National Museum of Mexican Art chose to celebrate Latino cultures. They are presenting everyday items and murals that are important to the Latino community. As Latinos have contributed a significant amount to the U.S., they should be acknowledged for what they have done.