El Museo Del Norte: A Latino Museum In Detroit

Detroit, Michigan is known famously as the "Motor City." Its rich Mexican history, however, is not so well known. Maria Cotera wants that to change.

In 2008, Cotera, director of the Latina/o Studies Program at the College of Literature, Science, and the Arts (LSA) at the University of Michigan, embarked on an effort to educate new generations about the history and contributions of Latinos in the community.

Cotera said she started plans for the El Museo Del Norte -- Museum of the North -- through a University of Michigan Arts of Citizenship grant.

"The museum will capture the stories of not just repatriated Mexicans, but also the larger migration stories of Puerto Ricans, South Americans, and even those who came to Michigan internally from California, Texas, and Nevada," she told LSA Magazine in an interview.

Jennifer Garcia Peacock, who manages El Museo Del Norte's Project, told HuffPost LatinoVoices that the project has evolved from conversations and data collection to a small mobile museum called "La Carpa: A Mobile Memory Museum." The mobile museum will travel the state to raise awareness about the need for a museum documenting Latino history.

"The content of the [mobile] museum will be created from photos, letters, documents, oral narratives and more, both in Spanish and English," Cotera told LSA Magazine. She said the goal was to have the mobile museum running by Spring 2012 with the hope for a "full-fledged museum in Southwest Detroit."

With the community's help, the museum project may soon grow to an actual museum documenting and celebrating Michigan's Latino experience. The museum website calls for a depository where the "stories of our grandparents are honored and new stories are generated from the old," a place where "various paths of our lives can come together in mutual support and respect."

The Museo del Norte Project will hold an event to help launch its next phase on Sunday, October 23 from 1:00-4:00pm at the Mexicantown Mercado and International Welcome Center, 2835 Bagley Street in Detroit.

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Comments

[rioderek]

09:35 PM on 10/23/2011

They built one here in Los Angeles and nobody goes, the place was a huge waste of taxpayers money. The sad truth is hispanics have very little positive impact on this country so far. There are no significant hispanics in Americas history. There has never been a world reknowned hispanic american.

It was an extreme risk and embarassment proping up a guy like Cesar Chavez who was nothing more than an uneducated/drop-out farm laborer who helped form a failed labor union, which to this day represents the nations lowest paid and oppressed workers.

[FedUpHeffelfinger]

10:34 AM on 10/26/2011

You claim is unfounded. The fact that we do not read about significant contributions made by Hispanics doesn't mean there haven't been any in history. It's the same as with other minorities in history. Your anger toward a positive piece is disturbing. And then to go full throttle at Cesar Chavez is blatantly disrespectful. Why the attempt to shoot down something positive? At least they're trying to bring communities together and I salute them for their efforts!

[FedUpHeffelfinger]

11:05 AM on 10/26/2011

One other thing: Have you made any positive contributions to your community or is it your sole purpose to keep the kettle stirred? Americans, well, the world, in fact, is tired of negativity in the form of hatred. We are one world, we are one race, we are imperfect, but we are trying to better our circumstances. Those on the side of positive will not be quiet anymore, we will not "stay in our place", we will celebrate our community, we will celebrate all communities with the joy and love humanity has been taught to hate.

[PTAOfficerforObama]

08:59 AM on 10/23/2011

Wonderful! I grew up in the lovely melting pot that was/is Detroit. I iwll look forward to seeing this when I next visit!

[Recalled]

03:51 AM on 10/23/2011

MEXICO CITY: One of the best cities out there. Been many a time and will go back for even more. If Americans could only be so lucky.

[timetraveler2039]

01:31 AM on 10/23/2011

Colorful, brilliant - great art, wonderful food -- lively dances - beautiful, industrious and hard working people - Viva Mexico!

[SuperMex]

12:34 AM on 10/23/2011

I am sure the folks in the Detroit area will appreciate the art museum. Hopefully I will someday have the opportunity visit the museum.

I will be visiting El Museo Del Barrio in New York City in February 2012.

[ForVivi]

11:51 PM on 10/22/2011

A mobile museum will be a challenge in below zero temps. Framed photos behind glass might suffer from condensation causing buckling. Just wondered if they've thought of this.

[Recalled]

03:52 AM on 10/23/2011

I am sure they did. Unless a US president curated the show. Which as you know means, they didn't think or anticipate Plan B.

[ForVivi]

11:46 PM on 10/22/2011

Always got a kick out of going to dinner in Detroit's Mexicantown right by the bridge to Canada!

I'm glad to see this effort being made, as there is a considerable Latino population in Detroit as well as Pontiac and Saginaw.

The Detroit Institute of Arts has a wonderful Diego Rivera mural of the Ford Plant.

[mira chancleta]

09:56 PM on 10/22/2011

Why call it "latino" when "el norte" implies specifically that its focus is Mexico.

A token nod to Caribbean Latins, Central Americans and South Americans doesn't it cut, but it is to be expected in the hypocritical PC cocoon of the academy.

Yeah, "latino", but really about Mexicans...Typical.

[dave6686]

10:12 PM on 10/22/2011

are Mexicans not Latino's?

[bloggomatic]

12:39 AM on 10/23/2011

no there not..... its about being politically correct bla bla bla crap

[katherine2011ish]

09:45 PM on 10/22/2011

Always wonderful to keep one's heritage and historical contributions alive. It is vital as a people.

[Arcelio Martinez]

11:24 AM on 10/22/2011

BEING LATINO with the vast majority being MEXICANS will ALWAYS be a part of America whether the bigots ever grow up or not

[Cory111]

08:57 PM on 10/22/2011

La verdad ...
F&F
San Felipe, Baja California...