Statue of Liberty National Monument & Ellis Island Immigration Museum

The Ellis Island Immigration Museum’s dialogue program, Speaking of Immigration, allows participants to explore the immigration experience of a century ago and invites them to consider what similarities and differences exist in immigration today. Conducted in cooperation with New Jersey City University, the program takes college students on a series of interactive tours of Ellis Island that focus on different aspects of immigration during the island’s heyday, including: the inspection of new arrivals, the life immigrants would find at work and at home in the United States, and the efforts of immigrants to achieve assimilation and citizenship. Each tour’s historical narrative provides a starting point for facilitated dialogue in which participants thoughtfully consider their own experiences with immigration and their views about current policy issues. Students from diverse backgrounds are encouraged to formulate their own ideas, listen respectfully to different viewpoints, challenge prejudices, and consider ways to take civic action in their communities.