Connections European Heritage Month August 2020
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR PMB Administrative Services AVSO CADR IBC OFAS OHA
Our Vision: To Deliver Outstanding Products and Customer Service While Actively Creating and Sustaining a Respectful Focus Message from the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administrative Services
Dear Administrative Services Team, It’s always gratifying to receive kudos for projects that are personally meaningful, so it was a delight to read the following: Greetings Connections Team!
I would like to commend you for your work generally, and in particular for the stellar June issue of Connections Magazine. I sent it out to the broader community as an example of the fine work the Department of the Interior can do and our shared commitment to diversity in the workplace. It is important that we continue to advocate for the rights and recognition of all of the beautiful members of our diverse work force, while delivering timely, high quality services to the American public. I can't wait to read the next issue and look forward to the great photography and insightful articles that have become a trademark of this publication.
Best regards, and with appreciation for an outstanding job representing the Department and our employees. Robert E. Hall, Administrative Judge, Interior Board of Indian Appeals, Office of Hearings and Appeals Many thanks to Judge Hall and to all of you for connecting with us through these monthly celebrations of diversity, inclusion and equity. We truly are stronger together! Please take care and stay safe, - Jacqueline M. Jones
IN THIS ISSUE: EUROPEAN-AMERICAN HERITAGE MONTH
2 Welcome/Table of Contents 3 The New Colossus/Europe by the Numbers 4 The Statue of Liberty 5 Ellis Island 7 Ireland: Annie Moore 8 Russia: My Journey Home 10 Wales: A Gift of Friendship 12 Germany: Finding My Roots 14 The European Union 15 National Parks with a European Connection 17 Voices for Change: I Have a Dream 19 Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness 20 About the Special Emphasis Program
2 2 Liberty: Mother of Exiles
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame, Screen capture from Google Earth 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-tost to me, "The New Colossus" by Emma Lazarus, however, published in Joseph an American poet, was the first entry Pulitzer's New York World as well I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" read at the Statue of Liberty exhibit's as The New York Times during this opening on November 2, 1883. It time period. In 1901, Lazarus's friend remained associated with the exhibit Georgina Schuyler began an effort to through a published catalog until the memorialize Lazarus and her poem, exhibit closed after the pedestal was which succeeded in 1903 when a fully funded in August 1885, but was plaque bearing the text of the poem forgotten and played no role at the was put on the inner wall of the opening of the statue in 1886. It was, pedestal of the Statue of Liberty.
741.4 million people live in Europe, and more than POPULATIONS 243 million Americans are of European descent. 1. Russia 146,024,447 From 1815 to 1932, 60 million people left Europe (with many returning home), primarily to "areas of 2. Turkey 84,644,753 European settlement" in the Americas (especially to 3. Germany 83,951,077 the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and 4. France 65,283,211 Did Uruguay), Australia, New Zealand and Siberia. 5. United Kingdom 67,960,106 6. Italy 60,465,251 On the eve of World War I, 38% of the world's total 7. Spain 46,785,134 population was of European ancestry. From 1800 to 8. Ukraine 43,716,532 you 1960, 70% of European emigrants came to the 9. Poland 37,850,596 United States. 10. Romania 19,210,031 History provides many examples of notable know? 11. Kazakhstan 18,809,806 diasporas, a word which refers to the involuntary 12. Netherlands 17,138,553 mass dispersion of a population from its indigenous 13. Belgium 11,602,522 territories. Today there is no set definition of the 14. Greece 10,768,193 term because its modern meaning has evolved over 15. Czech Republic 10,715,154 time, but diasporas continue to this day. 3 3 Lady Liberty: A Beacon of Hope
THE STATUE OF LIBERTY Screen capture from Google Earth
An Interactive Guide From the National Park Service WHO
Who were the people behind the Statue? Learn about the designers, builders, and others instrumental in the creation of the Statue of Liberty. WHAT
The park’s collections consist of tangible objects that help to tell the histories of both Liberty Island and Ellis Island. WHERE & WHEN
Liberty Island has been represented as a unique place by many different groups, including Native Americans, early colonists and the United States Army. WHY & HOW
How has the meaning of the Statue of Liberty evolved since its dedication in 1886? Explore themes such as The French Connection and Popular Culture.
POPULATIONS
www.everykidinapark.gov
Photo by Gary Bremen 4 4 Ellis Island: Entry to the American Dream
Coming to America Screen capture from Google Earth
Ellis Island may not appear large on a map, but it is an unparalleled destination in United States history. After welcoming more than 12 million immigrants to our shores, Ellis Island is now a poetic symbol of the American Dream.
Prior to 1890, individual states, rather than the Federal Government, regulated immigration into the United States. Castle Garden (now Castle Clinton), located in the Battery of Manhattan, served as the New York State immigration station from 1855 to 1890. Approximately eight million immigrants passed through its doors, mostly from Northern European countries; this constituted the first large wave of immigrants to settle and populate the U.S.
In the 1800s, rising political instability, economic distress, and religious persecution plagued Europe, fueling the largest mass human migration in the history of the world. Around 1890, it became apparent that Castle Garden was ill-equipped and unprepared to handle the mass influx, leading the Federal government to construct a new immigration station on Ellis Island. During construction, the Barge Office in the Battery was used for immigrant processing.
The new structure on Ellis Island began receiving arriving immigrants on January 1, 1892. Annie Moore, a teenage girl from Ireland, accompanied by her two younger brothers, made history as the very first immigrant to be processed at Ellis Island. Over the next 62 years, more than 12 million immigrants would arrive in the United States via Ellis Island. as Boston, Philadelphia, Baltimore, San Francisco, and New Most immigrants entered the United States through New York Orleans. The great steamship companiesPOPULATIONS like the White Star, Harbor, although there were other ports of entry in cities such Red Star, Cunard, and Hamburg-America Lines played a significant role in the history of Ellis Island and immigration as a whole.
First and second class passengers arriving in New York Harbor were not required to undergo the inspection process at Ellis Island. Instead, these passengers received a cursory inspection aboard the ship; theory being that if a person could afford to purchase a first or second class ticket they were affluent and less likely to become a public charge in America due to medical or legal reasons. However, regardless of class, sick passengers or those with legal problems were sent to Ellis Island for further inspection. [continued next page] 5 Ellis Island
[continued from previous page] inspection. Contrary Screento popular capture belief, from interpreters Google Earth of all major languages were employed at Ellis Island, making the process This scenario was far different for third class passengers, efficient and ensuring that records were accurate. commonly referred to as “steerage.” These immigrants traveled in crowded and often unsanitary conditions near the Despite the island’s reputation as an “Island of Tears” the vast bottom of steamships, often spending up to two weeks seasick majority of immigrants were treated courteously and in their bunks during rough Atlantic Ocean crossings. After the respectfully, free to begin their new lives in America after only steamship docked in the Harbor (typically along the west coast a few short hours on of Manhattan), steerage passengers would board a ferry to Ellis Island. Only two Ellis Island for their detailed inspection. percent of the arriving immigrants were If an immigrant’s papers were in order and they were in excluded from entry. reasonably good health, the Ellis Island inspection process The two main reasons lasted 3 to 5 hours. The inspections took place in the Registry for exclusion were a Room (Great Hall) where doctors would briefly scan every doctor diagnosing an individual for obvious physical ailments. Doctors at Ellis Island immigrant with a soon became very adept at conducting these “six second contagious disease that physicals.” By 1916, it was said that a doctor could identify could endanger the numerous medical conditions (ranging from anemia to public health, or a legal trachoma) by simply glancing at a person. inspector concerned an The ship’s manifest log, initially filled out at the ship’s port of immigrant would likely departure, contained the immigrant’s name and his/her become a public charge answers to 29 questions. This document was used by the legal or an illegal contract inspectors at Ellis Island to cross-examine during the legal laborer.
• POPULATIONS
6 6 Ellis Island and the Immigrant Experience: Ireland
Annie Moore is honored by two statues sculpted by Jeanne Rynhart. One stands at Cobh Heritage Centre (formerly Queenstown), her port of departure, and another at Ellis Island, her port of arrival.
and left Annie and her two brothers in the care of an aunt. ANNIE MOORE When they were established in America,POPULATIONS the Moore family sent for their children: Annie (17), Anthony (15) and Philip On January 1, 1892, Annie Moore, a 17 year old girl from (12). Annie was first off the ship where she was greeted by County Cork, Ireland, became the first immigrant processed at various officials in recognition of her being the first person Ellis Island. While New York City ushered in the arrival of 1892 whose immigration was processed in the new center on Ellis with the peals of church bells and the Island. Among other commemorations, screeching of horns, American dreams Annie was presented with an American danced in the head of the Irish girl as $10 gold piece by an American official. she watched from the bow of the steamship Nevada anchored off the Annie married a son of German Catholic southern tip of Manhattan. Along with immigrants, Joseph Augustus Schayer her two younger brothers, the teenager (1876-1960), a salesman at had departed Queenstown, Ireland, on Manhattan's Fulton Fish Market, with December 20, 1891, to start a new life in whom she had at least eleven children. a new land. She died of heart failure on December 6, Annie was born in Cork in 1877. Her 1924, and is buried in Calvary Cemetery, parents emigrated to America in 1890 Queens, New York. 7 The Immigration Experience: Russia
Too bad it was the Soviet Union that My Journey Home ended up collapsing. I imagine a few An Unorthodox, Superficial View of the Russian Culture of those economists are now forecasting local economic growth By Tatiana Sazonova, Geologist, Indian Programs Lead, somewhere in extreme northern Siberia. Division of Minerals Evaluation (AVSO) The Soviet Union was built on a beautiful philosophy of equal treatment for all human beings. Every day on TV we were told International flight #TY405 gently landed in Seattle International how great our country was, that there was no crime, no food or Airport on August 5, 1999. I was one of thousands of toilet paper shortages. We were the best in the world. If only newcomers that day from all over the world. Being fatigued other countries like the United States would follow our from no sleep for the last 24 hours and shocked by my new example, the world would be perfect. The reality presented a environment, I found myself completely lost and unable to stark contrast with poverty, nationwide alcoholism, mile-long speak any language to any extent. Thank goodness, the lines at the store to get basic life necessities, travel bans to immigration officer spoke good Russian and was able to help me foreign countries, and other “perks” of living in a corruption- out. ridden society. Were there happy and prosperous people in the On my connecting flight to Fairbanks, Alaska I made a huge Soviet Union? Yes, of course. My family was not among them. mistake by thinking I could speak English and dared to ask a I tried for years to reconcile the two realities and failed flight attendant for a cup of orange juice. I’m still not sure what miserably. At an early age I realized that freedom was more came out of my mouth that puzzled that poor women to no important for me than anything else, hence the decision to get end, probably something like, “Oh rage, all Jews!” or maybe out and settle as far away from the “motherland” as possible. "Raging Jaws!”, but she was not amused. After a good five It’s hard to analyze why people keep coming to the United minutes and the help of an Alaskan gentleman, I was finally able States from Europe and around the world. I bet that there is to pronounce that thing correctly. That’s when I realized—I’m always a pretty complicated and interesting story behind each screwed. After all, I was heading to graduate school. How would immigrant. There were always dissidents from the Soviet Union I communicate? way before my time. I met quite a few of these immigrants. Fortunately, I did not have much time to think about the There is even a sort of a replica of a Russian town on Brighton problem as the flight landed in Fairbanks and there I was— Beach in New York City. If you go, be prepared to experience a stepping on American soil for the first time and breathing fresh, whole immersion in Russian culture. Do not leave your valuables crisp Alaskan air. As my graduate advisor was driving me to his unattended (remember that stealing is kind of like a national house, I was flabbergasted at how similar the trees and flowers sport in the Soviet Union); prepare to speak Russian (very few looked to the ones in northern Russia. Yes, they were the same people speak English there); and brace yourself as you but somehow different. Something just felt right, and for the experience rude store clerks and obnoxious waitresses and first time in my life, I felt like I was finally home. other not-so-pleasant representatives of “customer service.” I was 24 at the time, had a pretty rough life back in Moscow, and wanted to get out as long as I remember myself. I’m still wondering if that Anti-American propaganda I grew up with had the opposite effect on my messed-up brain. A significant part of my childhood took place during the Cold War with TV news filled with nuclear threats and Russian economists forecasting a total and inevitable collapse of the United States the day after tomorrow. St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow 8 8 5 The Immigration Experience: Russia
Joking aside, I absolutely love going there and to our local Russian stores in Denver and reconnecting with my roots. I miss Russian food and miss hearing Russian speech all around me. Russian food deserves a special honorable mention here, and I have a confession to make—I don’t know nor have I tried a dish invented in Russia by Russian people. The climate really sucks in most parts of Russia and people were more concerned with survival than with the invention of new dishes. Thankfully, Russian people traveled and being invaded from time to time and no—you will not laugh. You might require an emergency throughout history led to Russian adaptation of many dishes therapy session after reading some of the Russian classical such as pancakes, dumplings, various roasts, etc. True Russian literature like Tolstoy, Dostoevsky, or Chekhov. I found myself dishes use mushrooms, berries, wild game and root vegetables. talking to a psychiatrist about 10 years ago about not being Nothing spicy, ever. True Russian food critics would argue that happy. Her response was, “Of course you are not happy, you authentic Russian cuisine preserves the natural taste of are Russian! I see people like you all the time. Please, please, ingredients without spoiling them with spices. Only salt and please get on some prescription meds ASAP.” pepper are allowed in most of the dishes. For me, pelmeni If you read through all of my stream of consciousness related to (Russian variation of dumplings) was always the favorite. my life and my view of Russian culture, thank you from the There is so much more that could be said about various aspects bottom of my heart. I hope I did not offend any Russians. Many of the Russian culture, but if you want a short summary, here it immigrants from the Soviet Union and Russia remember a great is—just one word—depressing. Music, literature, dance, food— country and fantastic achievements that would not have been gloom and doom. Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate all of it and possible without great Russian people. They are creating art love Russian culture in its entirety. I blame the weather and and writing books and still hoping that the fate of Russia will terrible history of Russia as the two main factors influencing change, and Russian people will live in the country that they the culture. I learned the hard way to never trust Russian deserve. Many still hope to return one day. I am not among classical plays for theater labeled “comedy.” Yes, you will cry, them; I found my home here.
9 Tanya at the summit of one of Colorado’s Fourteeners (mountains over 14.000’) 9 5 Wales
A Welsh Gift of Friendship Across the Sea
By Abigail T. True, AVSO Along with her letters, Lucie and her family would send other special When I was four years old, I received a letter in the mail, gifts, including a traditional outfit perhaps the very first letter I’d ever received, which was itself for Welsh children. It had a black very exciting. But, when I realized the letter had traveled to my skirt, a shawl, a black bonnet, and hands across the Atlantic Ocean from a country called Wales, I two felt pins—a daffodil and a was captivated. The letter was tucked inside a crisp white card leek—national symbols of Wales. with lambs in a painted grassy meadow on its cover. The lambs Both the daffodil and the leek are were black and where their coats would be were tiny tufts of commonly worn on St. David’s Day, black wool. I would gently rub my little fingers over their coats. March 1st, to honor the Patron This was my first card from Lucie, a distant relative from Wales. Saint of Wales and herald the She and her family lived in Blaina, a small town in South Wales coming of spring. However, it is about three hours west of London. There was a photo of Lucie believed that the tradition of inside the card, and to my young eyes, she looked like a slightly wearing the leek dates back older, fascinating little girl whom I needed to get to know centuries and its origins fade into legend. As one story tells it, better! St. David ordered his soldiers to wear the leek on their helmets into a battle against Saxon invaders. The battle itself was said to In her first letter Lucie introduced herself and her family and have taken place in a field of leeks. told me a little bit about her life in Wales. She told me one thing that I would never forget: that black lambs are good luck, and if One of my favorite things Lucie ever sent to me was a tiny ever I happened to see one, I should make a wish. And I do wooden spoon with a heart carved like a keyhole in its handle. make a wish to this day whenever I see one. It was a Welsh love spoon. Dating back to the 16th Century, love spoons were carved and given away as gifts, usually as a romantic gesture.
The carvings on the spoon are symbolic and intended to display the skill of the carver. A keyhole represents home and security, a dragon stood for protection, hearts for true love, and so forth.
[cont’d next page]
Left: Lucie outside of her home in Blaina, South Wales. Right: Me, age 4, wearing Welsh traditional dress. Note the pins on my shawl—a daffodil and a leek! Top: a Welsh Love Spoon. 10 Wales: Sending Letters and Love Across the Sea
[continued from previous page]
Shortly after Lucie and I began corresponding, my dad took a trip to Wales to meet our family there, and I remember him telling us he’d be gone a while and was traveling across the ocean or “across the pond” as my grandma would say. I remember asking him if he’d be able to see whales in the ocean from the plane. Wales and whales, while I soon grew to under- stand the difference, was puzzling to me in the beginning. When he returned from his trip, my dad brought many pictures and endearing stories about Wales and our family there that further fueled my curiosity of the wider world. Above: Abby’s daughter, Lucie and I continued to write letters Nani (6), and Lucie’s over the years, eventually meeting a daughter, Darcie (8). Right: Great Britain. number of times in the United States. Below: Prince of Wales green garnet and To this day we remain in touch diamond brooch. and our own young daughters, Nani and Darcie, have begun to write to one another, sending letters and love between Colorado and Wales.
Although Wales closely shares its political and social history with the rest of Great Britain and, while a majority of the population in most areas speaks English as a first language, the country has retained a distinct cultural identity. Both Welsh and English are official languages; over 560,000 Welsh-speakers live in Wales, and the language is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west. 11 11 Germany
Finding My Roots
By Gary Bremen, NPS Biscayne National Park
Growing up in South Florida, I was exposed to people from lots of different cultures: Cuban, Guatemalan, Mexican, British, Irish. I learned to enjoy bocaditos and pastelitos, pupusas and tamales. But at my house we had meat loaf with canned corn, or boiled hotdogs with iceberg lettuce salad. That’s because we didn’t have a culture; we were “American.”
I learned early on that my last name was German, that my grandparents were Duffys and Gesickis and Stringhams. I was a German/Irish/Polish/English mutt. It was fun to know, but we didn’t celebrate any of those cultures. Yet I always secretly wished I could go to some of those places, especially the city of Bremen in Germany. How cool to be in a town named for you - or perhaps the other way around!
So last year, when my husband said he wanted to go to Oktoberfest, my interest was definitely piqued. I DID know that I did not want to spend two weeks drinking at the world’s largest beer festival, but I also knew that if we went to Munich, I’d be remiss if I didn’t say that Oktoberfest wasn’t incredibly “my city” was only a day’s train ride away. I was in. enjoyable. Yes, it was a LOT of people drinking, but the last time I felt such kinship with an enormous crowd was when my college football team won the national championship, and I will forever remember conversations with the locals that were both funny and deeply enlightening.
Our train arrived into Bremen just a short while before a walking tour was about to leave. As we took a tram to the city’s visitor center, my excitement was palpable: this was MY city! I bought stickers, t-shirts, hats, magnets…all kinds of stuff to bring home. Repeatedly, I felt my eyes well-up. I really couldn’t explain it, but I definitely felt a connection.
Clockwise, from above: Gary and Roger with the Brementown “musicians”; Roland and the Rathouse World Heritage Site; Bremerhaven Lighthouse.
12 12 Exploring Bremen and German Culture
The next day, we took a train to Bremerhaven, the port of Bremen where over 7 million people departed to an unknown world, including my maternal great-grandmother Marianna and her daughter Stanislawa who for some reason traveled alone in 1892. At the German Emigration Museum (the counterpart to the Immigration Museum at Ellis Island), I learned what it might be like to leave everything you knew behind, just like the parents of my Guatemalan and Cuban friends did when I was a kid. I got a tiny taste of what it was like on that ship: down in steerage, and the heart-thumping terror of having someone who would look at you for 15 seconds determine whether you stayed or went back.
After we left the museum, we walked out to the place where those thousands of ships departed from. Here came those tears again. I looked up at the brick lighthouse, built in 1853, and imagined Marianna holding baby Stella on the deck of the SS Trave. She, too, was At dinner, I ordered what looking at the very same lighthouse. our guide the day before And the next “lighthouse” she would had told us was a see was the Statue of Liberty. specialty of Bremen, a In that moment, I understood… dish called labskaus. deeply, something I always believed: When it arrived, it looked immigration makes us stronger. oddly familiar. It was remarkably similar to my favorite restaurant breakfast back home: corned beef hash with an egg on top. Sure, the German version was served with pickled beets and rolled up herring, but other than that, it was pretty close.
I guess I had a culture all along.
Top: Gary and Roger at Octoberfest; a meal of labskaus; making new friends at Octoberfest; the Bremen crest.
13 The European Union
Screen capture from Google Earth
The European Union (EU) is a political and economic In 2012, the EU was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. The union of 27 member states that are located primarily Norwegian Nobel Committee said its decision was based in Europe. Its members have a combined area of on the stabilizing role the EU has played in transforming 1,634,469 square miles and an estimated total most of Europe from a continent of war to a continent of population of about 447 million. The EU has peace. The EU’s most important achievement, according developed an internal single market through a to the committee, has been "the successful struggle for standardized system of laws that apply in all member peace and reconciliation and for democracy and human states in those matters, and only those matters, where rights". The work of the EU represents "fraternity members have agreed to act as one. EU policies aim to between nations" and amounts to a form of the "peace ensure the free movement of people, goods, services and congresses" cited by Alfred NobelPOPULATIONS as criteria for the capital within the internal market; enact legislation in Peace Prize in his 1895 will. justice and home affairs; and maintain common policies The EU has a Charter of Fundamental Rights, which on trade, agriculture, fisheries and regional begins with the following statement: development. A monetary union was established in 1999, coming into full force in 2002, and is composed of 19 EU The peoples of Europe, in creating an ever closer union member states which use the euro currency. among them, are resolved to share a peaceful future based on common values. On 31 January 2020, the United Kingdom became the first member state to leave the EU. Following a 2016 Conscious of its spiritual and moral heritage, the Union referendum, the UK signified its intention to leave and is founded on the indivisible, universal values of human negotiated a withdrawal agreement. The UK is in a dignity, freedom, equality and solidarity; it is based on transitional phase until at least the end of 2020, during the principles of democracy and the rule of law. It places which it remains subject to EU law and part of the EU the individual at the heart of its activities, by establish- single market and customs union. ing the citizenship of the Union and by creating an area of freedom, security and justice. 14 National Parks With European Connections
Poland: Thaddeus Kosciuszko National Memorial, Pennsylvania
Andrzej Tadeusz Bonaventura Kościuszko (1746-1817), more commonly known as Thaddeus Kościuszko [left], was a Polish general, military engineer, and revolutionary. He fought in the American Revolutionary War, as well as an uprising in his home country. He was known for his bravery, kindness, patriotism, likeability, and unwavering strength of character.
“As pure a son of liberty, as I have ever known…” - Thomas Jefferson
Prussia: Valley Forge National Historical Park featuring Baron von Steuben, Pennsylvania
Friedrich Wilhelm August Heinrich Ferdinand von Steuben [right] was a Prussian and later an American military officer. He served as Inspector General and a Major General of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He was one of the fathers of the Continental Army in teaching them the essentials of military drills, tactics, and discipline. He served as General George Washington's chief of staff in the final years of the Revolutionary War.
France: Fort Caroline National Memorial, Florida
Fort Caroline memorializes the short-lived French presence in sixteenth century Florida. Here you will find stories of exploration, survival, religious disputes, territorial battles, and first contact between American Indians and Europeans.
The Timucua [left] were a Native American people who lived in Northeast and North Central Florida and southeast Georgia. They were the largest indigenous group in that area and consisted of about 35 chiefdoms, many leading thousands of people. The various groups of Timucua spoke several dialects of the Timucua language. At the time of European contact, Timucuan speakers occupied about 19,200 square miles in the present day states of Florida and Georgia, with an estimated population of 200,000.
15 National Parks With European Connections
England: Fort Raleigh National Historic Site, North Carolina
England’s first home in the New World, Fort Raleigh National Historic Site [right] protects and preserves known portions of England’s first New World settlements from 1584 to 1590.
Spain: Castillo San Felipe del Morro, San Juan, Puerto Rico
Few landmarks are more representative of Puerto Rico's legacy within the Caribbean and the Americas than Castillo San Felipe del Morro [left]. This fortification on the corner of the islet of Old San Juan now greets cruise ships as they leisurely sail in and out of the bay, but during most of its nearly 500-year history it was an important military outpost for Spain and later the United States.
Irish Mill Girls: Lowell National Historical Park, Massachusetts
Lowell’s water-powered textile mills catapulted the nation – including immigrant families and early female factory workers – into an uncertain new industrial era. Nearly 200 years later, the changes that began here still reverberate in our shifting global economy. Explore Lowell, a living monument to the dynamic human story of the Industrial Revolution. Pictured, right, is Florence Luscomb, who was born in Lowell and became a well-known suffragist.
Russia: Sitka National Historical Park, Alaska
On an island amid towering spruce and hemlock, Sitka National Historical Park preserves the site of a battle between invading Russian traders and indigenous Kiks.ádi Tlingit. Park visitors are awed by Tlingit and Haida totem poles [detail, left] standing along the park’s scenic coastal trail, and the restored Russian Bishop’s House speaks of Russia’s little known colonial legacy in North America. 16 Voices for Change 57 Years Later, the Dream Endures
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. delivered his famous “I Have a Dream” speech during the March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom on August 28, 1963. Delivered to over 250,000 civil rights supporters from the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., the speech was a defining moment of the civil rights movement and among the most iconic speeches in American history. Dr. King had originally prepared a short and somewhat formal recitation of the sufferings of African Americans attempting to realize their freedom in a society chained by discrimination. He was about to sit down when gospel singer Mahalia Jackson called out, “Tell them about your dream, Martin! Tell them about the dream!” Encouraged by shouts from the audience, King drew upon some of his past talks, and the result became the landmark statement of civil rights in America — a dream of all people, of all races and colors and backgrounds, sharing in an America marked by freedom and democracy. Here is that part of Dr. King’s speech: I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the American dream. I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed. We hold these truths to be self- evident that all men are created equal. I have a dream that one day out in the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slaveowners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a state sweltering with the heat of oppression, will be transformed into an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four little children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by their character.
[continued next page] 17 17 Voices for Change
[continued from previous page] This will be the day when all of God’s children will be able to sing with new meaning “My country ’tis of thee, sweet land of I have a dream today. liberty, of thee I sing. Land where my father’s died, land of the I have a dream that one day down in Alabama, with its vicious Pilgrim’s pride, from every mountainside, let freedom ring!” racists, with its governor having his lips dripping with the And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. words of interposition and nullification; that one day right So let freedom ring from the hilltops of New Hampshire. Let down in Alabama little black boys and black girls will be able to freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York. join hands with little white boys and white girls as sisters and brothers. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania. I have a dream today. Let freedom ring from the snow-capped Rockies of Colorado. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be engulfed, every hill shall be exalted and every mountain shall be made Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California. low, the rough places will be made plains and the crooked But not only that, let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of places will be made straight and the glory of the Lord shall be Georgia. revealed and all flesh shall see it together. Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi and This is our hope. This is the faith that I will go back to the South every mountainside. with. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the mountain of despair a stone of hope. When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every tenement and every hamlet, from every state and every city, With this faith we will be able to transform the jangling we will be able to speed up that day when all of God’s children, discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and brotherhood. Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of With this faith we will be able to work together, to pray the old spiritual, “Free at last, free at last. Thank God Almighty, together, to struggle together, to go to jail together, to climb we are free at last.” up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
“Voices for Change” invites Diversity Change Agents and Special Emphasis Program Team members from throughout DOI to share their thoughts and insights. This month, the Team suggested we commemorate the 57th anniversary of Dr. King’s memorable “I Have a Dream” speech. To be included in next month’s magazine or to recommend meaningful words from the history of the struggle for equal rights, please submit your comment and photo here. Thank you. 18 Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Image by Evan Wexler 19 19 About the Special Emphasis Program
Special Emphasis Programs (SEPs) are implemented and observed throughout the Department of the Interior primarily to ensure that all are provided an equal opportunity in all aspects of employment. These programs encourage employees to appreciate, value, understand, and celebrate social and cultural similarities and differences.
The Administrative Services Special Emphasis Program Team publishes Connections magazine to coincide with each monthly commemoration. We would be delighted to have you be a part of our efforts by:
• Shaping subject matter for each magazine • Creating and submitting content • Participating in and hosting virtual observances and informal discussions • Celebrating diversity with family, friends and co-workers
Team members spend approximately one hour per pay period on SEP initiatives, are able to take time away when work schedules require it, and can focus on those subject areas that are most meaningful to them. To get started, please send an email here and a team member will contact you. Thank you sincerely for your interest!
Connections Magazine for September: Hispanic Heritage Connections Magazine European Heritage Month August 2020
The Special Emphasis Program Magazine is a publication of the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary, Administrative Services. Your input is essential to making this a valuable resource for all employees. Please feel free to share your ideas, suggestions and articles/pictures with editor Steve Carlisle by calling (505) 267-5024 or emailing [email protected]. Thank you!
The views and conclusions contained in this work are those of the authors and should not be interpreted as representing COVER PHOTO: Evan Wexler is a teacher from Miami who is always thinking of the opinions or policies of the U.S. what National Park he’s going to visit next. With his photography, Evan seeks to Government. Mention of trade names or capture his deep and abiding love for the history and wilderness that the National commercial products does not constitute their endorsement by the U.S. Park Service conserves. Evan is also the descendant of Jewish-European immigrants Government. who passed through Ellis Island. See more of Evan’s outstanding photography here: https://www.instagram.com/wexplorations/ 20 23