Emma Lazarus and the Statue of Liberty

Speaking on immigration reform yesterday, President Obama invoked the Statue of Liberty and Emma Lazarus, whose famous poem beckons immigrants to American shores. Lazarus' Jewish family fled persecution in Europe and she crusaded for better healthcare and housing for immigrants to the US. The President said she donated work to pay for the statue, which he said, "was funded in part by small donations from people across America…" Barry Moreno is librarian and historian at the Statue of Liberty National Monument and the Ellis Island Immigration Museum.