National Hispanic Heritage Month honors the past while looking forward

GAMBLE TO PROTECT STOLEN DATA, BUT IT APPEARS LUCK HAS RUN OUT FOR TWO MAJOR CASINOS. >> NBC’S MIGUEL ALMAGUER WITH THAT REPORT. WE’LL BE FOLLOWING THAT. >>> SO TODAY IS THE FIRST DAY OF NATIONAL HISPANIC HERITAGE MONTH, AND TO MARK THE OCCASION, SECOND GENTLEMAN DOUGLAS EMHOFF WILL VISIT LATINA SMALL OWNED BUSINESSES IN WASHINGTON, D.C., TO HIGHLIGHT HOW BIDENOMICS IS DELIVERING FOR LATINOS WHICH HAS SEEN THE LARGEST SINGLE YEAR DECLINE IN LATINO UNEMPLOYMENT. JOINING US THE CHAIR OF THE BOARD FOR THE SMITHSONIAN, IT’S GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK ON THE SHOW. TELL US WHAT YOU WILL

BE FOCUSING ON THIS MONTH, BOTH POLITICALLY AND HISTORICALLY. >> WELL, WE’RE GOING TO TELL THE STORY OF OUR CONTINUERIBUTIONS T THE COUNTRY, TELL GREAT AMERICAN STORIES AND USE THIS IDEA OF A NATIONAL MUSEUM OF THE AMERICAN LATINO AS OUR PLATFORM, AS THIS BIG EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION. AND OF COURSE WE’RE GOING TO CONTINUE THE WORK OF COMMUNICATING TO OUR COMMUNITY AND TALKING ABOUT HOW IMPORTANT WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TO THIS COUNTRY, HOW IMPORTANT WE ARE TO THE FUTURE OF THIS COUNTRY, TO THE PAST AND TO THE ECONOMIC STEWARDSHIP OF THIS COUNTRY. >> SO THE SECOND GENTLEMAN IS

HIGHLIGHTING THE WORK THIS ADMINISTRATION HAS DONE TO HELP LATINO OWNED SMALL BUSINESSES. AND THERE’S SOME WORRIES AMONG DEMOCRATS THAT WHETHER THEY’LL RETAIN, THEY’LL TURN OUT ENOUGH LATINOS AND

LATINA VOTERS NEXT YEAR, AND CERTAINLY WE SAW IN 2020, AT LEAST IN CERTAIN AREAS, SOUTH FLORIDA, THERE WERE SOME STRUGGLES. RIGHT NOW HOW GOOD DO YOU FEEL ABOUT THAT POSSIBILITY? >> WELL, LATINOS ELECTED JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS, AND I THINK WE CAN DO A BETTER JOB OF EXPLAINING HOW OUR — HOW THE POLICIES OF THIS ADMINISTRATION ARE BENEFITTING THE LATINO COMMUNITY, AND WE WILL. AND I THINK

AT THE END OF THE DAY, PEOPLE UNDERSTAND WHO REALLY HAS THEIR BACK AND WHO DOESN’T. >> TELL ME WHAT ABOUT — I DID NOT — I WAS NOT AWARE UNTIL TODAY THAT THE SMITHSONIAN WAS UNDERTAKING THIS NATIONAL MUSEUM FOR THE AMERICAN LATINO. WHAT’S THE TIME FRAME FOR IT? WHEN IS IT GOING TO BE INTO EXISTENCE AND BUILT? >> YOU KNOW, JEN, THIS IS A PROJECT OF THE LATINO COMMUNITY THAT EXTENDS BACK ALMOST 40 YEARS, AND SO OVER THE COURSE OF THOSE DECADES, WE’VE BEEN BUILDING CURATORSHIP IN EACH OF THOSE MUSEUMS. WE’VE BEEN PUTTING EXHIBITIONS TOGETHER,

WE’VE BEEN BUILDING EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS. NOW WE’RE WAITING, WORKING CLOSELY WITH CONGRESS TO SECURE OUR SITE, AND ONCE WE’VE SECURED OUR SITE, WE’LL HAVE A DESIGN COMPETITION FOR A BEAUTIFUL BUILDING ON THE MALL, AND WE’LL CONTINUE TO WORK WITH DIFFERENT SMITHSONIAN MUSEUMS AND WITH MUSEUMS AND CULTURAL CENTERS AROUND THE COUNTRY FOR ALL OF THE PEOPLE WHO MAY NEVER COME TO WASHINGTON, D.C., TO EXPERIENCE