An ethnic mosaic
The world, in one American story.
The many cultures that built the American Dream.
The center will tell the stories of the peoples who make up the United States, with a special focus on Native American culture, alongside African American, Latin American and Caribbean, Middle Eastern, Asian and European communities.
Explore by origin
Follow the great migrations.
With AI and interactive tools, visitors will explore each wave of arrival and what it gave the nation, by decade, region or country of origin.
Immigrant journeys
Cross the ocean. Walk the hall.
Virtual reality headsets will carry visitors on an immigrant’s journey: across the ocean by ship, through the crowded halls of Ellis Island, or over the wide lands crossed by migrant workers.
The Unvarnished Record
Honoring the cost of the American story.
The American Dream was not offered equally to all. This gallery will face the chapters too often softened or left untold: the forced removal of Native nations, the boarding schools that sought to erase Indigenous languages and identities, the slave trade and centuries of enslavement, the Chinese Exclusion Act, and the incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Room to reflect
Slow down. Listen. Bear witness.
Each history will be told with care and without embellishment, through documents, objects and the words of those who lived it. Quiet rooms will give each visitor time to take in what they have seen.
The immigration timelines
Walk through the timelines.
Interactive timelines will trace each wave of arrival, and QR codes at every kiosk will open further reading on the spot.
The principle
“To honor the full story is to honor those who endured it.”
From the Unvarnished Record gallery
Gallery
Support the memorial
Help tell the whole story.
Your gift helps the center honor every arrival, and every cost.