Case Study
National Museum of the American Latino
The National Museum of the American Latino Community Commission Act was introduced by Representative Xavier Becerra (D-CA) and Representative Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL). It was signed into law by President Bush in May, 2008.
Since 2006, The Raben Group has been honored to provide a full range of communications services, external relations and strategic counseling to establish a private-public infrastructure to support the creation of the National Museum of the American Latino on the National Mall in Washington, D.C.
Before passage of the Act, The Raben Group helped identify high-profile Latino community and corporate leaders to serve as National Museum of the American Latino Advisory Board members and help move the Act through Congress. The Raben Group worked with the Board to craft a long-term community and congressional engagement strategy. In coordination with Advisory Board Members, we met with Members of Congress to seek co-sponsors and encourage passage of the legislation, and we secured letters of support and resolutions from key national organizations, corporations, elected officials and community leaders calling for passage and full funding of the Commission.
To supplement the work of the Commission, The Raben Group also established a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, the “Friends of the National Museum of the American Latino, Inc.” (Friends of NMAL), which was incorporated by Robert Raben, actor Tony Plana, and Hispanic Yearbook publisher Angela Zavala. Friends of NMAL has initiated a grassroots campaign to help build a network of support for the museum around the country. It also works to raise awareness of the museum initiative among community and elected officials.
Over the past several years, The Raben Group organized a variety of special events to raise the visibility of the museum effort, including a panel discussion at the 2006 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Annual Public Policy Conference, a reception at the 2007 Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute Annual Public Policy Conference, and a formal benefit reception in March 2008. The Raben Group has also engaged the community on the museum at the annual conferences and events of the National Council of La Raza (NCLR), the National Association of Latino Elected and Appointed Officials (NALEO), Cuban American National Council, the League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC), the United States Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (USHCC) and many others.
