Detroit’s Latino community made history last week as Detroit Voces and United Way for Southeastern Michigan hosted a community-led conversation with representatives from the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Latino (NMAL).
Held at the Design Build Green Hub in Southwest Detroit owned by Tanya Saldivar-Ali and her husband Luis Ali, the gathering
invited residents to shape the Smithsonian’s proposed Museo Móvil, a ‘museum on wheels’ that will showcase Latino history and culture nationwide. Rather than present a predeter- mined plan, Smithsonian staff came to listen, ensuring the project is grounded in the lived experiences of Detroit’s Latino community.
“This is not just about history, it’s about ownership,” said Ozzie Rivera, Detroit cultural activist and member of the Voces collective. “For too long, our contributions have been overlooked. Having the Smithsonian here to listen is a chance to make sure our experiences are part of the national record.”
For longtime community leader Angie Reyes, retired executive director of the Detroit Hispanic Development Corporation, the urgency is clear. “The Detroit Latino history often gets lost and is not told even to our own people,” she said. “Young people may not know the history of our community, so preserving that and celebrating that is critically important now more than ever when our community is under attack.”
Maria Salinas, executive director and founder of Congress of Communities, framed the session as part of a much longer struggle. “For me this is a conversation that has been happening for generations. However, the lack of equity from the city, state and federal government hasn’t allowed us to move things forward,” she said.
With newer generations
that are more progressive and aggressive, I think we are going to move the needle to get a museum in Southwest Detroit. And with Voces, it is fast-pac- ing the progress so between leadership, organizations, churches, and businesses we can make this happen.”
That generational perspective was echoed by Isabel Lopez,
a young entrepreneur and founder of Aura Strategy. “To speak for the youth of the community, what we want for the future is to see our voices reflected not only in news- papers but also across social media, where information spreads widely,” Lopez said. “We want to know the history of our neighborhood and also see ourselves in how it’s being shared.”
Community members also raised critical ques- tions about safety and accountability, noting that under the current administration the Smithsonian itself has come under fire and intense scrutiny around whose histories are told. Participants emphasized the importance of ensuring that any new effort like the Museo Móvil remains secure, authentic, and resistant to political pressures to rewrite history.
By centering local voices, the Smithsonian and Voces signaled a shared belief: Latino history is American history and Southwest Detroit is helping to write it.
Angela Gallegos is a Special Projects Manager born and raised in Southwest Detroit. She is health-conscious in her lifestyle and committed to cultural preservation and creative storytelling. She loves connecting talented people to meaningful projects!
This article was made possible thanks to a generous grant to EL CENTRAL Hispanic News by Press Forward, the national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. Learn more at www.pressforward.news.
