New Americans Museum highlights the country’s immigrants

The New Americans Museum in Liberty Station is exactly that: a special place dedicated to extolling the accomplishments of all immigrant Americans throughout history.

“The purpose of the museum is to celebrate and to educate about the contributions of multi-generational immigrant Americans,” said Linda Caballero Sotelo, executive director and chief curator of the museum at 2825 Dewey Road, #102. “One of the things most important right now is for our communities to really understand the impact of our immigrant heritage, as part of our national American story.”

Founded 14 years ago at the former Naval Training Center, even before its conversion to Liberty Station, Caballero Sotelo noted the museum was established to “really focus on the contributions of all multi-generational Americans who have all been immigrants at some point.”

Of the museum’s mission, Caballero Sotelo noted: “It’s a different vehicle to tell immigrant’s stories through art and cultural programming, and through talks and forums. It’s an opportunity to come together and just celebrate our roots as Americans.”

Stop by the New Americans Museum to view their newest art exhibition titled “Una Storia Segreta: When Italian Americans Were Enemy Aliens.” The exhibition explores the period during World War II when Italian Americans were designated as “enemy aliens” and subjected to discrimination. Through different mediums such as powerful photographs, documents, and personal recounts, the exhibition sheds light on this difficult period of fear and uncertainty.

The Italian-American exhibition will be open to the public until Saturday, July 15. The exhibit showcases artifacts and photos from this period, giving attendees a deeper understanding of this often-overlooked piece of history. General admission tickets are $20.

At newamericansmuseum.org, it is pointed out that the United States has beckoned immigrants the world over for centuries. Consequently, contemporary America is a diverse mosaic of cultures and traditions. One in five Americans today was either born in a foreign country or has a parent who was born abroad. In fact, children of immigrant families are the fastest-growing population group in the U.S. Therefore, understanding the impact of these demographic changes is a national imperative.

“In the civic, economic, and artistic arenas, yesterday’s newcomer is tomorrow’s pioneer in a continuing process that defines us to this day,” states the museum website noting the museum serves as a “catalyst to celebrate America’s past and promise, providing inspiring and compelling educational and cultural programs to honor our diverse immigrant experiences.”

Caballero Sotelo added New Americans offers regional programming throughout San Diego County. “We do classes and arts teaching different skills in different communities in a variety of subjects whether it be sewing, jewelry making, even knitting,” she said. “We work with immigrant and refugee communities and new arrivals to make them feel welcome and a part of our American fabric in different ways.”

During the pandemic, the museum’s curator noted they had to shut down the facility for a time and do all of its programmings via Zoom. During that time the museum examined important issues in its online programming, such as hosting a forum where holocaust survivors talked about being resilient.

“A lot of our programming revolves around building relationships with our communities to really dispel negative stereotypes about immigrants, especially in this day and age,” said Caballero Sotelo.

The museum’s executive director added that traveling exhibits come to New Americans from all over including The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. Typically, traveling exhibits are then paired with local exhibits. For example, a traveling exhibit about the experience of Asian Americans in the country would be combined with content examining the history of local Asian Americans from countries like China, the Philippines, Vietnam, and Korea.