Chip Chick
1883 was the same year she wrote “The New Colossus,” which she was commissioned to write in an effort to raise funds for the Statue of Liberty’s pedestal. She chose to write about the journey of immigrants who come to America, writing, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.”
After the poem was punished and presented at auction, Emma traveled to Europe to pursue more advocacy work. There, she various Jewish leaders and documented her travels and experience in an essay, “A Day in Surrey with William Morris.”
She stayed in Europe for a few years, but when she returned to New York in 1887, she was very ill due to what some believe to have been Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She passed away at the age of 38 in 1887.
Following Emma’s death, a compilation of her work was published in the series “Poems of Emma Lazarus” in 1889. It wasn’t until 16 years after her passing that “The New Colossus” was engraved onto the plaque that sits on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty in 1903.
It’s incredible that although Emma’s life was tragically cut short, she spent many years writing words that are still cherished today and dedicating time to helping those who struggled to be visible.
If you ever find yourself visiting the Statue of Liberty soon, be sure to take a moment to read “The New Colossus” and give thanks to the woman who wrote it.
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