San Antonio to Launch First Mexican American Civil Rights Museum

The museum will aim to highlight the pivotal role Mexican Americans played in the civil rights movement.

San Antonio is set to host the nation’s first Mexican American Civil Rights Museum, a major milestone in the recognition of Mexican American history. However, officials are still in the process of determining the exact location for the museum, which will be situated somewhere west of downtown.

On Friday, the Mexican American Civil Rights Institute (MACRI) revealed five potential sites along the inner West Side, identified through a detailed feasibility study and input from local communities.

The museum will aim to highlight the pivotal role Mexican Americans played in the civil rights movement and bring attention to significant historical moments that have often been overlooked, according to MACRI Executive Director Sarah Zenaida Gould.

Currently, MACRI is supported by approximately $250,000 in funding from the city and county. However, the institute has stated that an additional $10 to $15 million will be needed for the construction and opening of the museum.

To help raise these funds, MACRI is launching a community donation campaign, with a special "Big Give" event scheduled for next week to kick off the effort.

The institute has partnered with the local architectural firm Ford, Powell & Carson to complete the 10-month feasibility study.

The launch of the National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C. in 2016 sparked a significant boost in African American heritage tourism, generating a multi-million-dollar industry, a model that MACRI hopes to replicate for Mexican American heritage.

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