A collage of posters about the history of immigration conceptualized by the author. Image: Andy Outis/Studio7 / Collage: Jake Wasserman
By David Margolick October 28, 2024
The author used photographs from the Library of Congress and collaborated with Andy Outis of Shift7 Studio to create these posters in honor of our immigrant grandparents.
When former President Donald Trump describes immigrants as “trash” or “vermin,” the third thing I think of is the ugly strain of xenophobia and intolerance that has always contaminated America’s bloodstream. The second thing is about President Trump’s general dislike. But my firsts are Joseph Margolick, Chena Silver, Max Schlagowitz, and Rebecca Ribner.
they are my grandparents. They, and millions of others like them, truly helped make America great in the past. They were Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, and if Trump were around then, I’m sure he would have called them all by the same name. And there was a herd of hyenas cheering him on, like the one at Madison Square Garden last night.
Like many people, I am always aware of and proud of my immigrant roots. I, too, can recite Emma Lazarus’ famous words from atop the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. When Ellis Island reopened, I immediately made a pilgrimage there. A Yiddish version of a World War I U.S. Food Administration painting depicting awed immigrants on the decks of ships entering New York Harbor hangs in my apartment. (There were many other languages as well.)
Poster by Charles Edward Chambers. “Food will win the war,” it says in Yiddish. “You came here for freedom, and now you must help protect it. Wheat is necessary to our allies, and nothing is wasted.” U.S. Congress. Provided courtesy of the Library
The poster’s idealized image of passengers gazing at a rainbow over Lower Manhattan belied the often harsh reality they faced. All the slurs that President Trump is now hurling at his successors – that they are dirty, sick, dishonest and parasites – were also directed at these earlier generations of newcomers. Of course they were lucky. They arrived before President Trump could padlock Emma Lazarus’ golden door. Jews were massacred everywhere they remained.
Inspired by Trump’s nauseating comments, I made my own poster. The goal was simple. It is about emphasizing the humanity of those who have been here and those who are still here, and drawing out even more humanity from ourselves.
The photographs are from the collections of the Library of Congress and depict the arriving masses from all over the world, including Russia, Ireland, Eastern Europe, Africa, Italy, Mexico, China, and Japan, and the productive lives they once led. Cataloged. I got here. Andy Outis from Shift7 Studio did the graphic design, which included my words above and below the photo.
One of Margorick’s posters. A story about a family of Mexican immigrant workers living in Minnesota in 1937. Image courtesy of Andy Outis/Studio7
I am also disappointed that Democrats have not been able to effectively fight back against President Trump’s racist campaign. Indeed, they quarreled over his plausible claim that Haitians were eating dogs and cats in Ohio. But immigration has become so toxic across the political spectrum that few politicians seem willing to defend it in any way. They should point out the valuable role it has played in our history and continues to play in the lives of so many Americans. My 100-year-old mother’s devoted caregivers, myself included, were originally from Bosnia and Germany.
One of Margorick’s posters. It depicts an Italian immigrant family who left Ellis Island in 1905. Image courtesy of Andy Outis/Studio7
The photographs on these posters were created by some of the great chroniclers of the past, including Lewis Hine, Dorothea Lange, Russell Lee, Arthur Rothstein, and Ben Shahn. Most were hired by visionary governments to record their country’s history (including its sordid aspects), preserve it, and place it in the public domain for easy download.
Their photographs capture the full immigrant experience: heroism and dignity, innocence and elation, determination and fear.
One of Margorick’s posters. 1937, depicts a Japanese mother and daughter who are agricultural laborers near Guadalupe, California. Image courtesy of Andy Outis/Studio7
Together, they capture America as the “home for all God’s children” described by Abel Mehropoli in The Home Where I Live. Includes Joseph Margolick, Chena Silver, Max Schlagowitz, and Rebecca Ribner.
My mother’s parents, Max and Rebecca, were from Minsk, Belarus, and Yadow, Poland. My grandmother made the distinction of coming to Ellis Island twice, eventually landing in the farming community of Chesterfield, Connecticut, thanks to Baron de Hirsch.
My father’s parents, Josef and Cena, were from Libau (now Liepaja) in Latvia and Dolbyan (Darbanai) in Lithuania. They first sailed to Canada and settled in Montreal. Just 40 years later, my father came here fleeing anti-Semitism in Canada.
In the final days of this intense campaign, I personally don’t have the energy to knock on doors in Pennsylvania or Arizona. But maybe my poster will help find some much-needed lost people, especially those who grew up hearing foreign accents at home.
And at least I would have stood up for my grandparents and many others as well.
David Margolick was a longtime contributing editor for Vanity Fair magazine and legal affairs correspondent for the New York Times. He is also the author of numerous books.
The views and opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Forward. Discover more perspectives at Opinion. To contact the author of Opinion, please send an email [email protected].
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