Pages

Wednesday, May 19, 2021

 

TOMORROW! Activism, Athletics & Advice: Immigrant Newspapers in NYC

 

 

 


 

Courtesy of Museum At Eldridge Street

 

Activism, Athletics & Advice: Immigrant Newspapers in NYC

Thursday, May 20, 2021, from 6:00 P.M. - 7:30 P.M. EDT

 

 


 

Join us in this conversation with The Forward and Museum At Eldridge Street about immigrant newspapers in NYC.

Nearly 200 languages are spoken by New York City’s diverse citizens. They read in their own language, too - 95 ethnic and foreign-language newspapers circulate every day in the city. Printing news from the old country alongside their new one, these papers keep immigrants connected and provide a sense of belonging. New York Magazine reported in 2014 that these newspapers have a combined circulation of 2.9 million - more than the print reach of The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, the Daily News and the Post combined.

These newspapers are vital to immigrants adjusting to life in America’s most bustling city, and they’re not new. The Yiddish-language Forward was launched in 1897 on the Lower East Side. The publication gave eager American Jewish audiences news about Jewish communities from around the world, and offered news and advice about everything from baseball to labor rights. Across the way in Chinatown, Chinese immigrants were printing their own newspapers such as The China Daily News. These, too, covered news about wars brewing in the home country, American sporting events, and hyper-local news about rent protests.

The Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA) and The Forward both have archives of these fascinating historic newspapers. Join us as we dive in to discover how these two different communities in such close proximity used their newspapers to share information and build community. Joining this conversation will be Chana Pollack, Archivist, The Forward; Yue Ma, Director for Collections and Research, MOCA; and Nancy Johnson, Archivist and Curator, Museum at Eldridge Street.

This program is held in conjunction with the exhibition Pressed: Images from the Jewish Daily Forward at the Museum at Eldridge Street.

Stay up to date at MOCA’s website www.mocanyc.org or sign up for MOCA’s monthly e-newsletter.

Follow MOCA on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter and TikTok at @mocanyc; and WeChat at MOCANYC_USA.