Smithsonian Latino Center Announces $1 Million Gift from Bank of America to Support Latino Gallery.

The Smithsonian Latino Center has announced a $1 million gift from Bank of America to support the opening of the Molina Family Latino Gallery at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. The gift establishes Bank of America as one of the first corporate benefactors to support the Latino Gallery.

“The Latino Center and Bank of America both value the preservation of culture,” said Eduardo Díaz, director of the Smithsonian Latino Center. “This is why we’re honored to have Bank of America as a grand-opening sponsor.”

As the nation’s gallery dedicated to celebrating the U.S. Latino experience, the Molina Family Latino Gallery will present stories of discovery, identity, migration, innovation, entrepreneurship and success to millions of diverse, intergenerational audiences. The 4,500-square-foot gallery is scheduled to open in 2022, coinciding with the Smithsonian Latino Center’s 25th anniversary.

“Honoring and celebrating Hispanic-Latino culture is important in reflecting on the past and inspiring the future,” said Rena DeSisto, global arts and culture executive for Bank of America. “At Bank of America we understand the importance of investing in partnerships that advance both racial equity and cultural understanding. The Latino Gallery will help foster a conversation and deepen appreciation for the contributions of Hispanic-Latinos throughout the U.S.”

For more than three decades, Bank of America has supported Smithsonian museums and cultural initiatives, including lead support of the National Museum of African American History and Culture, the National Museum of the American Indian, the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative and the Our Shared Future: Reckoning with Our Racial Past initiative.

About the Smithsonian Latino Center

The Smithsonian Latino Center preserves Latino history and culture, engaging Latino communities and advancing Latino representation in the United States. Since 1997, the center has successfully ensured that the contributions of the Latino community are celebrated and represented throughout the Smithsonian Institution. For more information, visit www.latino.si.edu.