Since the first ill-fated colony at Roanoke, Virginia, women have come to America seeking a better life. Many have found it; many have failed. Why do women leave their homelands and families to start a new life? We found that their motives were all very different. Many come with family or because of job opportunities. Others simply come to start over.
Their stories are all unique and worth telling. We tried to find women from all over the world who have made the journey to learn about their experiences.
The women we interviewed have all inspired us with their courage and candor. They have also given us a lot to think about. I was born and raised here in the United States. My ancestors came here from Ireland, England, Sweden, and Germany. They mixed with the Cherokee, Comanche, and the Black Foot. I am a distinctive product of the mingling of these cultures. Carole was born in the Dominican Republic. She and her husband came to the United States as graduate students. After graduation, they returned to the Dominican Republic. They immigrated to the United States with their first child after her husband was offered a unique job opportunity.
(Photos of Fran and Carole)
This project was her brainchild. She confessed to me one day at our Zumba class that she wanted to write about her experiences as an immigrant. Leaving one’s homeland and culture to embrace a new way of life can be exciting and very lonely at the same time. She told me how much she missed family celebrations, and her fear that her identity was slipping away. As I looked around the room, I saw a dozen or more women who were also from other countries. Seeing them for the first time through Carole’s eyes, I wanted to know how they felt. Did they miss their homelands? Were they glad to be here? What did they think of Americans like me?
So, I decided to ask them. And then, I asked Carole if she would help me. Who better to understand the topic than she? What followed has been an education for us both.
Immigration is such a controversial issue in the United States. A quick review of the Immigration laws from 1790 to the present day reveal that it always has been. Certain Races and ethnic groups have historically been excluded or subjected to rigid quota systems. Many ethnicities have thrived here after facing extreme prejudice. The present anti-immigration sentiment aimed at Mexicans and other Latin Americans is concerning.
Our country was founded by immigrants, and it became a world power on the backs of millions of immigrants who farmed, built railroads, or worked in factories. Some immigrants came here in chains, and it took the bloodiest war in our history to free them.
The Statue of Liberty stands proudly in New York Harbor. For countless immigrants, she was their first glimpse of America; the lady with the torch welcomed them to their new home. If you visit her, you can read the plaque inscribed with a sonnet by Emma Lazarus. Lazarus wrote the sonnet to help raise money for the pedestal upon which Lady Liberty stands. The sonnet was almost forgotten, but after her death, friends lobbied successfully to have it put on a plaque and placed at the site of the Statue of Liberty:
“New Colossus”
by Emma Lazarus
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tossed to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Is America still the Promised Land?
“New Colossus” was written by Emma Lazarus on November 2, 1883.
To learn more about this poem and The Statue of Liberty visit: https://www.nps.gov/stli/learn/historyculture/colossus.htm