Staffers gain perspective on historical immigration, visit 9/11 Memorial

The Feather staffers were ready to start their third-day adventure in the city of New York. After riding on a sightseeing ferry in the Hudson River and viewing the sunset on the top of the Rockefeller Center, March 12, advisers, chaperones and staff members explored more of southern Manhattan, March 13.

Morning snow flurries in the streets, which melts after contact with the pavement, did not stop the group. Staffers endured a blizzard during last year’s trip to New York so today was not even an inconvenience. Advisers encouraged journalists to wear their warmest clothing, in anticipation of the cooler temperatures.

Feather staffers left Hotel Edison at 11:15 a.m., they took the metro to the Manhattan’s Lower East Side to visit the Tenement Museum. The museum spotlights the lives of the immigrants that came to New York in the late 19th Century. On the way to the museum, advisor Greg Stobbe guided The Feather staff’s walked in Little Italy and Chinatown.

Feather photojournalist Kaylie Clem, ‘19, appreciates the aesthetic appearance of the aged buildings in Manhattan.

“This is my second time visiting Little Italy, but first time at Chinatown,” Clem said. “I really enjoyed seeing all the old buildings; they are all so beautiful. There is so much to take in; I would love the opportunity to go back and explore new eating spots in Little Italy. I had never really experienced the market style shops in Chinatown, that was all very new to me.”

Feather photojournalist, Julia Fikse, ’19, wants to revisit Little Italy and experience more of the culture there.

“I have been to Chinatown and Little Italy once before,” Fiske said. “My first time was last year on the New York trip with The Feather. I would like to go back someday to look at more shops and eat at more restaurants in Little Italy. I did learn about the two cultures by seeing the fish markets that Chinatown had, and the many restaurants and bakeries Italians own.”

The Feather has attempted to tour the Tenement Museum during past trips, but due to weather complications, was unable to attend. The museum keeps the relics of immigrants who began a new life on Manhattan’s Lower East Side between the 19th and 20th centuries. The tenements housed over 15,000 working-class immigrants from over 20 nations while they served as residences.

Feather adviser, Kori Friesen, expresses her excitement for the museum visit and hopes that the students learn more about the era the immigrants lived in.

“We did not go in 2017 because of the massive snowstorm,” Friesen said. “The experience at the Tenement Museum offers the students a glimpse into the lives of immigrants during the late 1800s and early 1900s. To walk in their shoes for even a moment helps broaden historical perspectives and help gain understanding into the hardships of those considered outsiders.”

The definition of tenement comes from the Latin word tolerate, to hold. The New York Department of Building in the 1860s decided that a tenement is any building that helps three or more unrelated families.

The Tenement Museum offers five different types of tours: “Irish Outsiders“, “Hard Times“, “Sweatshop Workers“, “Shop Life and Under the Roof“. Staffers partook in the “Sweatshop Workers”, “Hard Times” and the “Irish Outsiders” tours.

Volunteer guide of the “Hard Times” tour, Dorothy Scher, has been working as a volunteer for 14 years with the Tenement Museum. Scher explains the background of the new immigrants that came to New York during the 19th Century.

“The hard times is about two recessions in this country or depressions, and how two different families got through those hard times,” Scher said. “The first family was German Jews, and the second in the 20th century were Italian. After all, I’ve only had one native American on my tours so far, for 14 years, every single person here is another immigrant or as the descendants immigrant.

“It is important for everyone, because even if you are not Italian descent or German descent, you have ancestry from another country,” Scher continued. “They all came here, and you need to know they all had hard experiences in the first place.”

Scher is also an immigrant, coming from Austria; she recalls some of her old memories when she first came to the United States as a child.

“I moved here in 1939–a long time ago,” Scher said. “The immigrants’ life was very difficult. We came here because of Hitler; we lived in people’s apartment, we did not have our apartment for five years. I was fortunate because I had had English lessons when I was in Austria, so when I came here I went right to the school I felt at home, but I changed schools a lot. We moved around, and we always had not enough food to eat.”

This is my second time visiting Little Italy, but first time at Chinatown. I really enjoyed seeing all the old buildings; they are all so beautiful. There is so much to take in; I would love the opportunity to go back and explore new eating spots in Little Italy. I had never really experienced the market style shops in Chinatown, that was all very new to me. — Kaylie Clem, ’19

Trip chaperone, Marie Fikse discusses her thoughts in the Irish Outsiders tour at the Tenement Museum.

“I had never been to the Tenement Museum before,” Fikse said. “Today, I went on the Irish Outsiders tour. I learned a lot about how difficult life was for them. They came to America with very little and had to take whatever job they could get. The women often took jobs as maids for middle-class American families and the men took jobs in restaurants. I also learned that the Irish immigrants were not well accepted at first and were looked down upon and discriminated against. I thought the Tenement Museum was interesting and different from anywhere I have been. If I come back to New York, I would revisit the museum.”

After the visit, The Feather team took the metro to Fulton Street, visiting the One World Trade Center and the 9/11 Memorial. Photojournalist Bethany Pouliot, ‘19, evinces her feelings toward the 9/11 Memorial.

“That was my first time visiting New York, and also the first time visiting the memorial,” Pouliot said. “It just hit me like this is really where one of America’s greatest tragedies took place, and there’s only so many different stories behind it.”

Pouliot remembers the first time she learned of the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.

“The 9/11 is a day that no one saw coming, it changed our lives forever,” Pouliot said. “I first learned about 9/11 in the fifth grade. My teacher Mr. Charlie Ford’s 60th birthday was that day, and that was the first time I‘d ever seen him cry. We watched videos of the smoke filling the air along with the sound of bodies hitting the ground from the tops of the twin towers. That stuck with me so deeply, and I always feel that connection now.

“I would want to come back and walk through the museum someday just to get another glimpse at what struck the heart of Americans the most,” Pouliot said. “It’s one thing to hear about this memorial, but it’s another thing to actually stand there and see the real extent of what used to stand.”

The team went inside Manhattan’s newest transportation hub, the Oculus, and then enjoyed lunch at the Brookfield Place which is adjacent to the 9/11 Memorial site. The Oculus is the new transit, shopping and food hub rebuilt adjacent and below the World Trade Center site in downtown Manhattan.

Editor-in-chief, Sam Cross, ‘19, talks about his experience at the Oculus and the Brookfield Place.

“The Oculus’s futuristic architecture amazed me,” Cross said. “I appreciated the time and dedication that was invested in the building. The building’s white interior, complex design and high ceilings conveyed a high-class feel to the area.”

The staff headed back to the hotel and some changed for the Broadway show, Hello Dolly, at Sam S. Shubert Theater. This show is honoured as The Musical Comedy Dream and is awarded as The Best Show of the Year. Starring of the show is the Broadway Legend, Bernadette Peters, returning to the Broadway stage.

Editor-in-chief, Alexander Rurik, ’19, expresses his personal opinion of the show.

“I have never watched Hello Dolly before, but I do know that our school did it a couple of years ago,” Rurik said. “Hello, Dolly is certainly special because of the way it remains an old-time classic Broadway show. Before today, I had never heard of the star actress Bernadette Peters, but I absolutely loved her. In one performance, I can see what makes her so special and loved. This was such a great show, and I would absolutely come back again.”

After the show, The Feather staffers went back to the hotel and prepared for tomorrow’s Columbia Scholastic Press Association conference.

The Feather will also continue to publish from Fresno as more than half the staff is still in school this week. On March 14-16, The NYC Feather staff will attend the Columbia Scholastic Press Association’s (CSPA) 94th annual Spring Scholastic Convention before returning to Fresno on St. Patrick’s Day.

Yunxi (Keith) Zhu can be reached via Twitter and via email.

For yesterday’s recap, The Feather takes NYC 2018: Day 2 Recap. For more articles, read NY Tenement Museum showcases European immigrant lifestyle in America.

Feather photojournalists compile a slideshow showcasing activities throughout the day.

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