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Connections
European Heritage Month
August 2020
U . S . D E PA R T M E N T O F T H E I N T E R I O R
PMB Admin istrative Se rvices
AV S O CADR IBC O FA S OHA
Our Vision: To Deliver Outstanding Products and Customer Service
While Actively Creating and Sustaining a Respectful FocusMessage 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 2Liberty: 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
2. Turkey 84,644,753
(with many returning home), primarily to "areas of
3. Germany 83,951,077
European settlement" in the Americas (especially to
Did the United States, Canada, Brazil, Argentina and
Uruguay), Australia, New Zealand and Siberia.
4.
5.
6.
France
United Kingdom
Italy
65,283,211
67,960,106
60,465,251
you
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
1960, 70% of European emigrants came to the
9. Poland 37,850,596
know?
United States.
10. Romania 19,210,031
History provides many examples of notable
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
3Lady 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 4Ellis 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 POPULATIONS
Orleans. The great steamship companies 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]
5Ellis Island
[continued from previous page] inspection. Contrary to popular
Screen belief,
capture interpreters
from of all major
Google Earth
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 6Ellis 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 POPULATIONS
When they were established in America, 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.
7The 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
somewhere in extreme northern Siberia.
By Tatiana Sazonova, Geologist, Indian Programs Lead,
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
85The 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’) 95Wales
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.
10Wales: 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
11Germany
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 12Exploring 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.
13The 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 POPULATIONS
congresses" cited by Alfred Nobel 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.
14National 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.
15National 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.
16Voices 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
17Voices 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.
18Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness
Image by Evan Wexler 1919About 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
Stephen_Carlisle@ibc.doi.gov. 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
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