Numb from
the ceaseless clamor of news about immigrant bans, terrorism, border walls and
fear, my husband and I visited the Tenement
Museum in New York hoping for some perspective. We are
both second generation Americans; all of our grandparents emigrated from Eastern Europe in the early 20th century. Here they lived the epitome of the American
Dream: they arrived virtually penniless
and left behind thriving Americanized families that have continued to excel. We
came with the conviction that new immigration policies are an abrogation of
American ideals. We left with a much
more complex understanding.
The mission
of the museum is to “tell stories of immigrants who started their lives anew on
Manhattan ’s Lower East Side
between the 19th and 21st centuries through the recreated apartment
and businesses of real families…” Unlike
museums that are housed in grand buildings, this one consists of two historic
tenement apartments. When the founders, Ruth Abram and Anita Jacobson stumbled
upon the buildings in 1988, they were like time capsules. “It was like the people had just picked up
and left,” Jacobson recalls. Today 8
different tours take visitors into the buildings that are set up as if the
occupants still lived and worked there. One
tour highlights sweatshops; Under One Roof shows the diverse lives of Jewish,
Chinese and Hispanic neighbors; one highlights the Depression years; Irish
Outsiders shows their struggle against prejudice; opportunities to extend the
experiences include workshops, discussions and behind the scenes tours and even
a tasting tour of the neighborhood. Our
tour, Shop Life, took us through the apartment and saloon of John and Caroline
Schneider. Interactive elements brought
the experience alive. Our guide, Raj
Varma, gave us each a bio of someone who actually lived in the neighborhood and
prompted us to stay in character and playact an evening in the neighborhood
tavern which was once one of the 720 bars within the 15 block neighborhood.
Throughout
the tour, Raj gave us examples of the disconnect in our country’s attitude
towards immigrants. On the one hand we
celebrate and encourage them and on the other hand we pass laws to subjugate
them. “The American Dream is a narrative
to make us feel good.” Raj said. “But it’s a narrative.” The museum shows the lives of typical people
who worked hard to build the factories and buildings only to die forgotten and
poor while the lives of rich people are memorialized. In fact “We’ve always been anti-immigration in
this country,” he reasoned as he cited laws that barred certain “undesirables”,
set unreasonable barriers or quotas and turned a blind eye to genocide. I’d always taken the Statue of Liberty’s
inscription as a shining example of our country’s fundamental truth but my
perspective shifted. “Every citizen of
our country has to reconcile themselves to this duality,” Raj concluded.
In today’s
highly charged political climate, I was interested to learn that tours at the
museum are often disrupted by controversy. In an article written by Sebastien
Malo for Reuters, the museum’s director of education Miriam Bader says, “People
will now share stronger opinions about whether or not they think immigrants are
sort of bleeding the country, they’re taking too much that other people should
have, or they’re taking our jobs. You’ll
hear … comments like ‘You know the immigrants of the past aren’t like those of
today’.” The museum has added training
for its guides who have always encouraged interaction and discussion but are
now frequently confronted by antagonistic opinions. “The political climate has created a need for
new skills or superpowers to facilitate the conversation,” Ms. Bader
explained.
It was an
eye-opening experience that left us with increased admiration for our
grandparents who overcame immense obstacles: escaping murderous hordes,
travelling across Europe alone as teenagers,
arriving destitute in a country and then scraping together a livelihood amidst
degrading conditions. We felt gratitude
for their fortitude and for this county that gave them opportunities. But also, our disdain of recent immigration policy
changes shifted. As Raj stated, “People
who criticize our president for immigration laws have never studied our
immigration laws. Our laws have never
been about who is let in, they’re about who to exclude.”
If You Go: