Day: July 2, 2009

anthropology, family, history, New York City

My Year of Hopefulness – Liberty and Ellis Islands

Christa Avampato

I went to the Statue of Liberty and Ellis Island today with my friend, Allan. Even though I’ve lived in New York City for so long, I’ve never been to either of these famous landmarks. It’s a visit that was long overdue.

My family came through Ellis Island around the turn of the century. After viewing the many photos and artifacts, I imagined how frightened and alone by ancestors must have felt. They didn’t speak English when they arrived. They got laborer jobs during the day and went to night school to learn English like most immigrants who entered the U.S. at the time. They braved extraordinary conditions and an unknown future so that my future could be brighter. They sacrificed and scraped by so that I might have an opportunity that they would never know.

Walking around the base of the Statue of Liberty, I was struck by how beautiful she is. She must have been stunning when viewed from the crowded boat that carried my ancestors to shore. It is very easy to see how she could fill someone with hope, especially when that someone was in search of something better than the life they left behind.

Most interesting is that the Statue of Liberty is built in two parts. The internal structure was built first, and then the external structure, the structure that everyone sees, wraps around it. It’s what’s inside that allows the structure to stand so high above the New York Harbor, welcoming anyone and everyone who ever wanted a shot at a new life. It’s what’s inside that has sustained Lady Liberty for so long.

I wish my ancestors who passed that way, with their resolve, determination, and ambition, were still with us. I’d like to thank them for their courage because that courage makes my life possible. It’s hard to imagine how I could ever be afraid again knowing the horrendous conditions that they endured with dignity and grace.

While my beginnings were humble, I have had the great luxury of so many advantages that simply were not possible for my relatives. I live the life that they imagined and pursued. Surely, if my ancestors, in their dire state in a foreign land, believed they could attain a brighter future for themselves and their families, then of course I can do the same. Of course, we can all do the same.

As I left the island, I considered the tremendous sense of responsibility that lay at my feet, built upon the backs of my brave ancestors. A sense of pride welled up inside of me as I walked the ground where they walked, all of us one foot in front of the other, racing toward a better, happier life. That life, is mine. And to them I am grateful beyond measure.

The photo above was taken by my friend, Allan. I’m standing inside the Immigration Museum on Ellis Island in front of a mural of photographs depicting the diversity of America.

art, child, childhood, photographs, social change

My Year of Hopefulness – Do You See What I See?

Christa Avampato

Today I went over to the U.N. to see a photo that my dear friend, Amy Marsico, worked on. The photo exhibit is entitled Do You See What I See? It captures the thoughts and emotions of displaced children living in refugee camps in Yemen and Namibia. The powerful images and the words of the children reacting to those images ranged from loneliness to hope to intense memories of the experiences they’ve been through in the camps and in their home countries.

The exhibit is the output of work my friend, Amy, and her colleagues did in support of the UNHCR’s Convention of the Rights of the Child. The Convention puts forward that children have the right to actively participate in the decision-making that effects their lives and communities. It has been ratified by nearly every country in the world. The U.S. is one of the few who have not adopted it.

What struck me about the thoughts of the children featured in the photo exhibit is how easy they were to understand. They had all the same concerns we have – being liked, companionship, future opportunity, learning, a desire to be safe. On my way home, I considered how children might see these streets of New York I walk along every day, what they might think as they walked through my life.

I considered how the child I used to be would view the adult I am now. What she’d be happy about and what she’d like to change. She’d want me to be having fun, freely voicing my thoughts, and making a difference. She’d want me to be excited to get up out of bed in the morning and out into the world. And she’d never want me to sit still. Ever.

I like to think that I carry the little child I used to be in my heart and mind as I go through my adult life. I’d like to think that though I’ve grown older, I’ve kept that young, optimistic, idealistic view on life. I’d like to think that what I see now is what I’ve always seen: a world full of opportunity and hope, a world where I can make a difference.

The photo above can be found at: http://www.refugeechild.net/wordpress/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/090406.jpg

business, career, entrepreneurship, Examiner, music, New York City

NY Business Strategies Examiner: Interview with Mike Cannady of Scratch Music Group

Christa Avampato

About a year ago, I met Mike Cannady, Chief Strategy Officer and CFO of Scratch Music Group, at an alumni volunteer event. Scratch Music Group is a company based in NYC with the mission to train and promote both aspiring and name brand DJs. Since its inception, Scratch Music Group has developed DJ’ing academies in New York, Miami, LA, abroad three cruise ships, and in four Caribbean locations. The company has also developed a suite of products and services related to its core business, developing a full service music consulting group.

For the full interview, please click here.

Photo credit