National Archives Marks New Immigration Exhibit with Special Programs in June
Press Release · Monday, June 11, 2012

Washington, DC

Attachments: Faces and Stories from America’s Gates

In June, the National Archives presents special programs inspired by the new exhibition, “Attachments: Faces and Stories from America’s Gates,” which opens June 15, in the Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery of the National Archives Building in Washington, DC, and runs through September 4. These programs are free and open to the public. Attendees should use the Special Events entrance on the corner of Constitution Avenue and 7th Street.

Friday, June 15, at noon, William G. McGowan Theater
Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America
Exhibition Curator Bruce Bustard discusses the stories featured in “Attachments.” Historian Erika Lee, co-author of Angel Island: Immigrant Gateway to America, will discuss her grandparents’ experience immigrating through Angel Island. A joint book signing will follow the program. Both Angel Island and the catalog for Attachments are available at a discount from the Archives Shop (202-357-5271) before and during the event.

Monday, June 18, at noon, William G. McGowan Theater
Making the Chinese Mexican: Global Migration, Localism, and Exclusion in the U.S.–Mexico Borderlands
Grace Delgado examines Chinese emigration in the U.S.–Mexico borderlands and looks at immigration, nationalism, and racism during the late 19th and early 20th century. She will use in her examination the experiences of Chinese migrants in this region, against the backdrop of national unrest in Mexico and the era of exclusionary immigration policies in the United States. A book signing will follow the program; the book is available at a discount from the Archives Shop (202-357-5271) before and during the event.

Wednesday, June 20, at 7 p.m., William G. McGowan Theater
Ellis Island and the Immigrant Experience
In conjunction with “Attachments,” a panel of scholars will offer an illustrated discussion exploring the dreams, realities, and experiences of the people who passed through Ellis Island. Panelists include Megan Smolenyak, genealogy expert and author of Hey America, Your Roots are Showing; Marian Smith, historian at U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; John Phillip Colletta, genealogy expert and lecturer; and Joel Wurl, senior program officer at the National Endowment for the Humanities. A book signing will follow the program; the book is available at a discount from the Archives Shop (202-357-5271) before and during the event.

About “Attachments”
This new exhibit gives visitors the opportunity to meet men, women, and children who found themselves at America’s immigration gateways from the 1880s through World War II. These stories of joy and disappointment, opportunity and discrimination, deceit and honesty are told through documents “attached” to their files and personalized by large photomural portraits of the immigrants. June 15 through September 4, 2012, Lawrence F. O’Brien Gallery

“Attachments”-related products – including an exhibition catalog and a new Genealogy Toolkit – are featured in the Archives Shop. All Archives Shop proceeds support the National Archives Experience and educational programming at the National Archives.

The National Archives is located on the National Mall on Constitution Avenue at 9th Street, NW. Spring/summer hours are 10 AM – 7 PM (through Labor Day). Fall/winter hours are 10 AM – 5:30 PM daily except Thanksgiving and December 25 (through March 14).

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For PRESS information, contact the National Archives Public Affairs staff at (202) 357-5300.

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