Ellis Island: The Pursuit
Our family toured the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island yesterday. While the Statue of Liberty was a spectacle to see up close, Ellis Island deeply moved me. From the late 1800s to the mid 1900s, Ellis Island was the focal point of immigration into the United States. In total, more than 12 million people entered the country through that facility. To put its importance into context, nearly 80% of the approximately 1 million U.S. immigrants in 1903 entered the country through Ellis Island.
What moved me most at Ellis Island were all the personal testimonies of some of the 12 million people who entered the U.S. to start a new life. Like this one from Elizabeth Friedman, a 1914 immigrant from Russia: "When we got on the boat and closer to Ellis Island, we saw the Statue of Liberty. And we just hugged each other and cried." I can't even imagine the number of emotions that were going through that family as they waded into their new lives.
This next one moved me as well, but for a different reason. It was a 1985 interview quote from Sam Birnbaum, a Polish Jewish man who immigrated in 1907. "From the first minute that I got here I realized that I am in a country where I am a free man....I have a fighting chance to make a living. That means everything. I didn't realize it as much as I do now, but at that time it was a big thrill."
Here's what I love about his quote. He didn't talk about how all his dreams have been granted, and he'll get everything he wants. Instead, he celebrated his newfound freedom and acknowledged that he has "a fighting chance to make a living." He had hope and a desire to pursue the journey.
Another woman had a quote that reminded me of Mr. Birnbaum. If I remember correctly, it was a woman who immigrated from China in the early 1930s. "Before I came, I read the Declaration of Independence. There was one sentence that said 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.' I have the right to pursue happiness?!?! Wow, it changed my life."
She didn't say that her life was magically better or that all her problems were solved. She reveled in the idea that she now had the freedom and right to pursue happiness. She was ready for the journey.
I think we take for granted just how special our opportunity here in America is. We aren't guaranteed anything, but we live in a place where anyone can pursue their dreams, their aspirations, their callings. We're given the right to pursue the journey, to give it everything we've got. As I read testimonial after testimonial, I couldn't help but think about how entire family trees were fundamentally altered by the pursuits of these brave and ambitious immigrants. It boggles my mind to think about it. And if those folks were willing to step up to the plate with their newfound opportunities, why aren't we? For many of us, it's time to step into this beautiful opportunity before us. Not the promise of some set outcome, but the freedom to pursue the journey for better.
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