On Friday, November 8, Watkins Mill High School Spanish Honor Society and IB Spanish 6/7 students visited the National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C. to explore the American Latino Museum.
The American Latino Museum dives into the history, advancements, and contributions of Latinos to the United States. Students visited the following exhibits: “¡De última hora!: Latinas Report Breaking News,” the “Molina Family Latino Gallery,” and “Entertainment Nation.”
The Molina Family Latino Gallery included various interactive experiences for visitors. One display screen allowed visitors to pick from a selection of Latinos and learn about their immigration story.
“There were daughters and sons of immigrants in the system that I resonated with as a first-generation student. [Their struggles] are what I’m going through right now,” junior Vivian Urbina said.
Exploring exhibits that capture Latina excellence, senior Erika González said, “It makes me really happy seeing my people do great things. It inspires me and makes it known that I can do the same; I can be one of them.”
World languages teacher Ligia Gorton worked over the summer to make the field trip into reality after visiting the museum herself. Gorton said, “Many of [my students] are from Spanish-speaking countries. I thought, if seeing the history of what Latinos have accomplished in this country impacted me, my students need to see how much they’re able to accomplish as well.”
Having support from administration and partial funding from the Parent-teacher Association (PTA), Gorton said it was a combination of everyone’s efforts.
Recognizing Latino impact on America, junior Andrew Ramos-Diaz said, “Our country is built on Latinos [and] our hard work. Whether in agriculture or politics, we [brought] big contributions and I feel like we don’t get the credit we deserve.”
To Ramos-Diaz, visiting the exhibits has allowed him to understand “[Latinos] are powerful and we can be someone in the future.”
A fan favorite among students was visiting the “Entertainment Nation” exhibition where an interactive Selena Quintanilla booth plays Selena’s classic songs and shares information about her contributions to the American entertainment industry and the American Latino identity.
