In the early 1830s Michigan promoted immigration to Michigan by sending flyers to German cities promoting the State. The Historical Society of Greater Lansing will tell this story and 49 others as part of a special grant from the Michigan Humanities, an affiliate of the National Endowment of the Humanities.
The project is called “Origin Stories: How You Got Here” and it is a collection of recorded oral histories and an exhibit detailing the arrival of Lansing residents from across the globe. Selections as broad as a Vietnamese boat person, the son of a Ukrainian shepherd, a family who made their way via the Erie Canal; a young couple from Alabama who were part of the Great Migration, a family member who survived the Indian Boarding School Incarcerations and other individuals who were part of the many refugee resettlements in Lansing. Many came fleeing war, famine, religious oppression, and many others saw opportunities not available to them in their original countries. Immigrants made their way from Haiti, Ireland, Nigeria, France, Cuba, Canada, Vietnam, Scotland, and scores of other countries.
The video histories and the exhibit is hosted in the Library of Michigan, Lake Erie Room. In addition to text and video, the exhibit will be supplemented with artifacts carried by the immigrants to their new home. Visitors will be able to sit in a waiting room and click on videos of individuals who immigrated to the Lansing area. Archival recordings and video messages from descendants and or historians will supplement those whose story is told posthumously.
Funding for the Great Michigan Stories program is provided by Michigan Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this program do not necessarily represent those of Michigan Humanities or the aforementioned entities.
