What does The Statue of Liberty mean today? episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 20, 2026 · 50 MIN

What does The Statue of Liberty mean today?

from The Colin McEnroe Show · host Connecticut Public Radio

The Statue of Liberty gets the CMS treatment. First, Colin talks with Dennis Mulligan from the National Park Service. He’s been Lady Liberty’s caretaker for almost 30 years and walked to her crown approximately 5,000 times (he did the math). Colin also talks about the improbable logistics of her creation with the journalist Elizabeth Mitchell, author of Liberty's Torch: The Great Adventure to Build The Statue of Liberty. And, scholar and poet Esther Schor joins to shine a light on the Emma Lazarus poem that gave the statue meaning that has both endured and changed over time. You know the lines, “Give me your tired, your poor…” but what else do you know about the “Mother of Exiles?” GUESTS: Dennis Mulligan: Supervisory Park Ranger for the National Park Service, The Statue of Liberty's caretaker for almost 30 years Elizabeth "Biz" Mitchell: Jounalist and author of Liberty's Torch: The Great Adventure to Build The Statue of Liberty Esther Schor: Scholar, biographer, poet, essayist and Chair of the Humanities Council at Princeton University. Her 2006 biography Emma Lazarus won the National Jewish Book Award.  She has also published Bridge of Words: Esperanto and the Dream of a Universal Language  and three books of poems. Music featured (in order): Liberty Fanfare – John Williams, as performed by The Boston Pops Orchestra under the direction of Keith Lockhart Song of Liberty – The Wolfe Tones American Tune – Shawn Colvin Mother of Exiles – Glenn Kaiser Statue of Liberty – Jill Sobule Huddled Masses – Shaina Taub Support the show: http://www.wnpr.org/donateSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

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