Lower East Side Tenement Museum, New York, NY

Web site: www.tenement.org
Press Contact: Kate Stober, kstober@tenement.org, 212-431-0233 ext 235

Left to right: Mrs. Laura Bush, community member Daryl Hamilton, Vice President for Public Affairs David Eng, and IMLS Director Anne Radice. Click image for a larger version.

Between 1815 and 1914, more than 30 million immigrants poured into America looking for decent work and a safe place to live. Some 7,000 people from 20 countries made their way to 97 Orchard Street, a New York City tenement. Today, the Lower East Side Tenement Museum recreates homes and stories of tenants who lived in these cramped spaces with stifling ventilation, poor lighting, and lack of privacy. Since 1988, the Tenement Museum has been integral in the education of visitors, from both the United States and abroad, interested in the history of immigrants in America.

The museum, which began as a simple display in 97 Orchard’s storefront, takes a unique hands-on approach to connecting visitors to the struggles and triumphs faced by former tenants. Instead of a building filled with artifacts displayed in cases of glass, rooms rented by six families from the 19th and 20th centuries have been recreated from Census records, first-hand accounts, and old photographs. Visitors to the museum are encouraged to interact with the rooms, not simply observe them from a distance. Tour guides give insight into the lives of the immigrant families that lived, and sometimes even worked, in their apartments, and in sharing these personal stories, aim to promote tolerance, give historical perspective, and encourage discussions about the larger issues concerning immigration in the present day.

The Tenement Museum prides itself on its efforts to foster civic engagement, provide services to new immigrants, and promote community development through a number of outreach initiatives. One such program is Shared Journeys, which brings students from ESOL (English for Speakers of Other Languages) and ELL (English Language Learner) classes to the museum free of charge to listen to a costumed reenactor discuss the trials faced by immigrants in 1916 America. Students are then encouraged to discuss their own experiences as recent immigrants. Many find that even though they are almost a century removed from the story the museum tells, it is in many ways much like their own.

Another program geared toward finding a common ground between recent immigrants and people whose ancestors made the journey to America long ago is Kitchen Conversations. After a tour of the museum, participants discuss and share their opinions on current immigrations issues facing the United States. This relaxed environment promotes candid and open, yet always respectful, conversations on a potentially controversial topic.

In 2004, the museum provided an invaluable service to recent immigrants with the publication of The New York Times Guide for Immigrants in New York City. The guide features current information for immigrants in New York on topics including obtaining green cards, finding apartments, getting jobs, enrolling children in school, protecting their legal rights, utilizing social services available to immigrants, and much more.

The Lower East Side Tenement Museum has had numerous important achievements since its inception in 1988, including its addition to the National Register of Historic Places and its recognition, paired with Ellis Island, as a National Historic Area. These accomplishments complement the museum’s creative and interactive tours and programming, which help visitors—approximately one million in the past 20 years—put a face and a name to a quintessentially American story.

“The Lower East Side Tenement Museum is deserving of this high honor. The museum’s programs strive to unite our City’s diverse population by focusing on the shared immigrant experience. Their outreach efforts help recent immigrants forge a new life in New York City, and have brought about a greater understanding of the challenges faced by so many,” said U.S. Representative Nydia M. Velázquez (D-NY-12).

Community Member Daryl Hamilton
Major Adversity Leads to the Best Job of His Life at the Tenement Museum
In 2004, Hamilton lost 70 percent of his vision to congenital glaucoma and lost his job in corporate America. A take-charge kind of guy, Hamilton began researching New York services and job opportunities for visually impaired and blind people. Over the next few years, he sewed uniforms for American soldiers in Iraq and worked as an employment recruiter for the visually impaired and blind. He also connected with Info Share, a group that brings adults who are blind or partially sighted to New York City cultural institutions. In 2007, he visited the Lower East Side Tenement Museum with Info Share and was so inspired by the fascinating museum and the friendly and well-trained staff, that he contacted the museum about getting involved. A month later, the museum invited him to join the staff as a museum educator. Today, Hamilton leads interactive, participatory tours and facilitates visitor discussions on immigration as part of Kitchen Conversations, a free program. The 30 hour-a-week job is the “best work experience of my entire life,” he said.