LADY LIBERTY PROJECT - Ariel Rathbun
Liberty and Justice for ALL!
We're launching the “Lady Liberty Project,” an on-going street theater celebration as an affirmation of our American icon, the Goddess of Liberty and Mother of Exiles.
This a welcoming and a plea to uphold our best core values, to illuminate what she represents
and become the people France thought us to be with their gift in praise of the abolition of slavery.
Let’s raise energy and awareness of the symbols of our Statue of Liberty with music, dance,
poetry, stories, songs and, yes, roller skating!
LLP is now a collaborative effort among friends. Creatively we plan to:
-Bring a positive presence in public gathering places
- Confirm the symbol of liberty given to us by France, an abolitionist nation.
- Sustain the view of Miss Liberty as a world beacon of welcoming.
- Bring out the words of The New Colossus, Emma Lazarus’ famed sonnet.
- Honor immigrants’ and refugees’ stories.
- Provide history of her creation and installation.
-Inspire more satellites of Lady Liberty around the Puget Sound and beyond.
My inspiration to germinate this project was my undocumented immigrant grandfather, who at 19 sailed from Germany as World War I broke out. He entered through Ellis Island and slipped into the throng of laborers, changed his name and language to survive. He kept his stories hidden until the centennial of the statue in 1986, when he began to talk of “we” rather than “they". Being an immigrant was an open secret in my family until “Frank” was 90 and finally shared his back pages with me in a bond of trust.
We all have stories. There are many aspects to learn and consider.
Points of interest:
PBS: Iconic America, Statue of Liberty (preview) https://youtu.be/AxMkbNPUa1M
History of Statue of Liberty: https://www.statueofliberty.org/statue-of-liberty/overview-history/
The New Colossus | The Poetry Foundation:
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/46550/the-new-colossus
History of poem, The New Colossus: https://www.nps.gov/stli/learn/historyculture/colossus.htm?ref=popsugar.com&=___psv__p_44842787__t_w_
Emma Lazarus: https://www.biography.com/writer/emma-lazarus
SONG: The New Colossus (a modern AI creation): https://suno.com/s/GGhoJgPZoBxzIEcP
Lady Liberty’s Right Foot: https://lacocinadegisele.com/knowledgebase/why-is-the-statue-of-libertys-right-foot-
Ten less known facts about the Statue of Liberty:
New York Theater on Lady Liberty: https://www.instagram.com/what_org/p/C4N8uMGA7FT/
8 podcasts on immigrant stories: https://www.boundless.com/blog/top-immigrant-podcasts/