I recently discovered the Tenement Museum on the Lower East Side in Manhattan. I had heard they had extensive exhibits on the Jewish, Italian and Irish families who had previously lived in the neighborhood (and the actual building) more than a century ago. Previously, I had primarily visited and revisited my two favorite museums in New York City, the Studio Museum in Harlem (led by the incredible Thelma Golden, who has increasingly showcased work from young Black artists throughout the Diaspora) and the Brooklyn Museum of Art (most specifically, to admire the replicas of historic rooms in period homes, as well as their room dedicated solely to chairs).
While at the Tenement Museum, I discovered a new interactive online program they have called “Your Story, Our Stories.” Essentially, they are asking people to upload an object that tells their immigration or migration story to the museum website. What I have found is that the ordinary objects become extraordinary, and the immigration/migration stories of struggle, perseverance and triumph are what actually bind us as New Yorkers and Americans.
Just quickly glancing at the site (www.yourstory.tenement.org, tells a story of unifying experiences) There is an entire section where people from China, Mexico, Haiti and beyond have uploaded dictionaries, sewing machines and other “common” objects. Seeing these objects and reading the short descriptions as to how and why these objects symbolize hope, the pursuit of the American Dream or a connection to a native homeland has made me look at passing strangers in a new light. As I sit on the subway, I wonder if people around me migrated here when they were small children. Were they born here and are now helping their immigrant parents learn English? Are they thankful for the sacrifices their grandparents or great-grandparents made while fleeing a war, dictator or natural disaster?
I recently had the students in my “Racial and Ethnic Politics” course at Fordham University upload objects that told their families’ immigration stories. What was powerful about the diverse immigrant experiences of my students from Europe, the Caribbean, South and Central America, Asia, and Africa was that students could see the overlapping and shared experiences of an immigrant from Ghana, Peru, Canada and Italy. My Black American students, whose relatives have been in the U.S. for so many generations, shared their migration stories of relatives from the South to the North, which overlapped with white American students, whose families have been in America for so many generations, who shared their migration stories of relatives from the East to the West.
I implore you to talk to your relatives and think about what object represents your family immigration or migration story. Take a moment and upload your story. You’ll be glad you did, as will the rest of us.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an Associate professor at Fordham University and the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream.” You can find her on Twitter @Dr_CMGreer.