New Virginians: 1619–2019 & Beyond
On display from October 18, 2018–October 7, 2019, New Virginians explored the historical and continuous journey toward the ideals of America. The exhibition seeks to foster an honest discussion about the immigrant and refugee experience and Virginia’s increasing diversity.
Recent estimates place the number of foreign-born Virginians at just under one million, or about one in every eight people in the state. The composite portrait of Virginia is becoming more complex, challenging an older, simpler understanding of what it means to be a Virginian. Whether our roots in the state go back ten thousand years, ten generations, or ten weeks, we must create the future of the commonwealth together.
Produced jointly by the Library of Virginia and Virginia Humanities, New Virginians highlighted the commonwealth's changing demographics on the eve of the 2020 federal census through a series of interviews with more than thirty first-generation immigrants and refugees who arrived in Virginia after 1976. Topics include the circumstances that led these men and women (and children or families) to leave their homes; the challenges and obstacles that they faced or overcame; questions about identity, assimilation, language, and culture; and what it means to be a Virginian (and an American). The interviews reveal the complexity of the experience for people representing a wide range of personal backgrounds, experiences, ages, and countries of origin—Asia, Africa, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East.
New Virginians Interviews
Learn more about the individuals and families featured in New Virginians in our Virginia Changemakers resource. View excerpts from personal conversations conducted by David Bearinger and filmed by Pat Jarrett, both of Virginia Humanities, to explore the complexity of the immigrant and refugee experience.
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New Virginians: 1619–2019 & Beyond is a Legacy Project of the American Evolution, 2019 Commemoration.