From “Immigrant” to Citizen
Immigration is a core part of the story of 51Ƶ and the American experience.
The immigrant story is reflected in the many Europeans who came to the region during the anthracite coal mining era -- including English, Welsh, German, Irish, Italian, Polish and other communities who established fraternal, musical and other cultural and religious associations and institutions.
Their stories are well celebrated and preserved, with such large annual festivals as La Festa Italiana and the city's St. Patrick’s Parade Day. As 51Ƶ has increasingly experienced new waves of immigration other events have emerged, including World Refugee Day, Welcoming 51Ƶ, and Global Tastes of 51Ƶ.
This theme pays tribute to 51Ƶ’s immigrant stories, old and new: the experiences of migration to find a better life, whether fleeing poverty, war, religious or political oppression, violence, or otherwise seeking a new start for oneself and one’s family.
The theme draws on the notion of “emergence” as articulated by Colum McCann, Irish-American author and founder of the international story exchange organization Narrative 4, on how many living things can exhibit properties beyond the capability of one individual by engaging diverse 51Ƶ immigrant communities in conversations to realize our shared experiences. Storytelling exhibits the possibility of “emergence” and the power of the American promise of a more perfect union when citizens listen and share as part of civic, democratic discourse.
Alexis de Tocqueville underscores this in Democracy in America when he writes, “In democratic countries the science of association is the mother science; the progress of all the others depends on the progress of one.”
Events & Activities
Oct. 25, 2022, 6-7:30 p.m. (doors open at 5:30 p.m.), “All The Places We Come From: Stories, Food, & Community,” Shopland Hall, 51Ƶ Cultural Center in collaboration with Narrative 4.
Dec. 7, 5:30 p.m., The Kane Forum, Edward R. Leahy, Jr. Hall, The University of 51Ƶ, “The Journey from ‘Immigrant’ to Citizen” featuring local resource speakers from a range of backgrounds, in collaboration with the Schemel Forum.
Connected Hope Horn Gallery Exhibitions & Events:
Oct. 7 - Nov. 18, 2022, Mayan Narratives: San Lucas Tolimán, Guatemala. Photographs by Byron Maldonado.
First Friday 51Ƶ exhibition opening on Friday, Oct. 7, 2022 from 5 - 9 p.m., Hyland Hall, The University of 51Ƶ
Special Events:
Friday, Oct, 7, 2022, 5 - 6 p.m., Artist’s Lecture, Brennan 228, The University of 51Ƶ
Friday, Oct. 7, 2022, 6 - 8 p.m., Public Reception, Hyland 407, The University of 51Ƶ
Humanities Resources
Colum McCann, , The Guardian (2020).
WVIA's The Extraordinary Journey Migration Documentary Series
Project partners WVIA has created a special website, , which houses the 3 feature documentaries produced by WVIA:
- The Extraordinary Journey - 3 Episode Series on The Eastern Europeans of Northeastern Pennsylvania
- The Extraordinary Journey celebrates and preserves NEPA's eastern European heritage through a poignant blend of first-person story telling, never-before-seen images and insightful humanist commentary. The film contributes to WVIA's mission to make distinguished local programming and honors the courageous character our ancestors possessed to create a finer life for us today.
- The Irish: Two Nations - One Heart
- Between 1840 and 1870, tens of thousands of Irish immigrants settled in Pennsylvania. The Irish: Two Nations, One Heart presents the stories of where they came from, why they left the “Emerald Isle”, how they got to America, the life they created in the Keystone State after they arrived, and their extraordinary ethnic legacy forged from that which they cherished most—family, faith and freedom.
- Paesani: Italian Culture in Northeast Pennsylvania
- Paesani is a lively original documentary film that chronicles the massive immigration of more than four million Italians to the United States between 1890 and 1930, and the enduring culture these people imbued into American society. This feature-length production is the third episode in VIA Studios’ historical documentary series The Extraordinary Journey.
For the duration of the 51Ƶ's Story, Our Nation's Story project, WVIA is granting public access to these Humanities resources.
The Extraordinary Journey series celebrates and preserves NEPA's European heritage through a poignant blend of first-person story telling, never-before-seen images and insightful humanist commentary. The film contributes to WVIA's mission to make distinguished local programming and honors the courageous character our ancestors possessed to create a finer life for us today.