Houston presents proclamation, ceremonial check to ALMA at Hispanic Heritage Month kickoff

Houston officials and community leaders on Sept. 15, 2025, presented a mayoral proclamation and a ceremonial check to ALMA, a nonprofit working to build a museum and cultural center focused on American Latino arts and history, at a Hispanic Heritage Month kickoff event in Houston.

The proclamation, signed by Mayor John Whitmire and read at the event by Council Member Julian Ramirez, declared Sept. 15 “Alma Day” in Houston. Ramirez said, quoting the proclamation, “Therefore, I, John Whitmire, mayor of the City of Houston, hereby proclaim September 15, Alma Day in the city of Houston.” Whitmire was not able to attend the ceremony, the transcript states.

ALMA president Carlos Duarte described the organization’s mission at the event: “ALMA's mission is clear, to help the nation understand American Latinos, to showcase our soul through arts and culture, and … to inspire new generations.” Duarte urged community members and artists to register with ALMA and to support the project as it develops a “world class museum and arts and culture complex” in Houston.

A representative of the ALMA board (identified in the transcript as Geraldine Wise) emphasized the project’s cultural purpose and urged public participation. “We will not be erased,” she said, calling the effort a “love letter to The United States” and urging attendees to “get in a picture” because the project is “making history.”

Commissioner Adrian Garcia, who closed the event, framed ALMA as a unifying cultural initiative and praised the organization’s name and mission: “Alma is a beautiful word. And so it is very appropriate that this incredible endeavor is being led by an organization that has taken … that word as its name.”

City support for ALMA was highlighted at the ceremony. The transcript records organizers saying the project’s initial funding came “from the city of Houston,” and that recent fiscal-year support was led by council members Joaquin Martinez, Mario Castillo, Edward Pollard and Amy Peck; former Council Member Robert Gallegos was also recognized for early funding. The transcript does not specify dollar amounts or whether the ceremonial check reflected a formal appropriation or an administrative grant.

Organizers announced ALMA’s annual awards celebration will be Oct. 6 at 6 p.m. at the ballroom at Bayou Place. ALMA staff also asked artists to register on the group’s website and encouraged public follow-up through social media and donations.

The event combined remarks from ALMA leaders, elected officials and community members and included photographic documentation described in the transcript as important to the organization’s historical record. The transcript records a sustained focus on cultural preservation and public fundraising rather than any formal council vote or ordinance during the ceremony.

ALMA and city leaders said the museum project aims to position Houston as a national center for Latino cultural expression. Specific next steps, project timeline, budget totals and formal funding instruments were not specified in the event transcript.