The dusty backpack and sneakers left in the Sonoran Desert by a migrant are displayed right between the multicolored graduation stole and the stylized “tree of life” adorned with images of historic Latino figures.
AG minister Teresa Ruelas was deported in the 1930s to Mexico despite being a U.S. citizen, the Smithsonian used her story in an exhibit that has recently opened.
The exhibition, “¡Presente! The History of Latinos in the United States,” underscores Latino history as U.S. history and how Latinos are foundational to it.