Afro-Caribbean Club Visits Tenement Museum

Twenty members of Molloy's Afro-Caribbean Club recently enjoyed a field trip to New York City's Tenement Museum! The Tenement Museum is a National Historic Site located in Manhattan's Lower East Side that preserves two tenement buildings that were once home to many 19th Century and 20th Century immigrants. Visitors are invited to tour restored apartments and go on neighborhood walking tours, which offer a unique look into the immigrant experience through these lived-in and well-traveled spaces.

Our students were led on a guided tour through the restored apartments, which housed traces of some of the old businesses that were run out of them, such as a dress shop and a butcher shop. "The tour helped make a connection between our own families' experiences and those of the immigrants who once lived in the apartments, showing many similarities," said Ms. Destiny Barbery, moderator of the Afro-Caribbean Club. Ms. Barbery also noted that the trip was "very impactful" and that our students "learned about the struggles of immigrant families, what they endured to survive, and how far we have all come."

Senior Kendall Solis '26 attended the field trip and shares, "Seeing the small apartments and hearing the stories of immigrant families made history feel much more tangible and meaningful. It allowed me to take a step back and imagine what life was actually like for some of these families and then compare it to what my life is like today."

President Richard Karsten '81 served as a chaperone and described the trip as "a great New York City experience and unique opportunity to learn about our city’s immigrant families and the difficulties and challenges of families living at the turn of the last century." He also expressed his thanks to Ms. Barbery and Dr. Alice Prince for coordinating the visit.