Thank you for shining a light on this oft-ignored history of this iconic monument. I am gratified that you acknowledge that this is not an either-or history. In fact, immigration was then, and is now, tied to race. Our first immigration law, the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act was explicitly racist - prohibiting immigration by anyone of the "Chinese" race. Of course, it was racism which supported the TransAtlantic Slave Trade, bringing millions in chains to this country. The failure to recognize this connection only allows that racism to flourish. For example, here in California, two racist propositions passed into law because of the lack of solidarity. Prop. 187, which denied rights to those deemed "immigrants" (i.e., brown people) had significant support in the Black community. Then, Prop. 194, which effectively eliminated affirmative action, had significant support in the Latino community. The Statue of Liberty is supposed to be a symbol to unite us. Let us follow her torch.