With people’s movements limited due to Covid-19, all Smithsonian museums in Washington, D.C., including the National Zoo, and in New York City are temporarily closed to support the effort to contain the spread of the disease.
Let this not stop you from checking out some of Smithsonian’s offerings, however – e.g. with Hidden Workers, viewers are given glimpses of how USA is built by migrants, including those coming from Asia. The exhibit is available online.
Marking the 150th anniversary of the completion of the Transcontinental Railroad, a critical episode in the development of the American West, Hidden Workers focuses on the forgotten Chinese workers who built the western leg of the railroad across the Sierra Nevada Mountains. A large floor graphic maps the United States so that visitors can walk the Transcontinental Railroad route. A display describes how the railroad was a catalyst for positive change but displaced Native Americans and caused the near extinction of the American buffalo.
