SAMPLE LETTER TO COMMUNITY GROUPS

(NOTE: In mailings to the media and community groups, include announcements, flyers, and brochures of programs related to the exhibition. Letters to the media should also include press kits, offer assistance in developing stories, and include a host site contact.)

(DATE)

Dear (NAME):

The (NAME OF HOST SITE) is pleased to announce the opening of a new national traveling exhibition, “Emma Lazarus: Voice of Liberty, Voice of Conscience” on (DATE). The exhibit explores the life and legacy of Emma Lazarus – a poet, critic, advocate for the poor, early feminist, and champion of immigrants and refugees.

This exhibit, curated by Lazarus biographer Esther Schor of Princeton University, traces Lazarus’s life, intellectual development, work, and lasting influence, and reminds us of the iconic words of her poem, “The New Colossus,” engraved on a plaque now located in the Statue of Liberty Museum: “Give me your tired, your poor,/Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” In Schor’s words, “She showed America how to become more generous, more noble, and more just. Her passion for justice lives on whenever we Americans dedicate ourselves to welcoming immigrants, training and educating the poor, and celebrating diversity.”

“Emma Lazarus: Voice of Liberty, Voice of Conscience” was developed by Nextbook, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting Jewish literature, culture, and ideas, and the American Library Association Public Programs Office. The exhibit tour has been made possible by the Charles H. Revson Foundation, the Righteous Persons Foundation, the David Berg Foundation, and an anonymous donor, with additional support from Tablet Magazine: A New Read on Jewish Life. Emma Lazarus is also a book by Esther Schor, published as part of the Jewish Encounters series by Nextbook/Schocken.

We would like to invite you to see the exhibit on (DAY, DATE) at (TIME) at the (NAME OF HOST SITE). (NAME) will be the guest speaker. A news release included with this correspondence provides additional details. Please contact me at (TELEPHONE, E-MAIL) if you have questions. The (NAME OF HOST SITE) has planned a number of other programs and events during the exhibit display period. The exhibit will remain on display through (DATE).

We hope you can join us as we introduce this exciting exhibition to our community.

Sincerely,

(NAME)