I've never seen a person who looks more like the Statue of Liberty than London-based musician Su Krikken. It's truly uncanny—Su looks like she could have been the actual model that ol' Lady Liberty is based on. Krikken shared a funny video on her Instagram explaining doing a side-by-side comparison, and, honestly, to quote Pam's iconic line from The Office, they're the same picture.
The Statue of Liberty, created by sculptor Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi, was dedicated on October 28, 1886, and in 1924 was designated at National Monument. The "colossal copper statue" has been under the care of the National Park Service since 1933.
Funny doppelgangers aside, it seems like a perfect time to re-read the poem that's inscribed on the 1903 bronze plaque located in the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty. The sonnet was written by Jewish-American poet Emma Lazarus in 1883, and was inspired by Lazarus' work as an aide to Jewish immigrants who were fleeing persecution in Eastern Europe and Russia and who had been detained by immigration officials. NPS explains that Lazarus was "deeply moved by the plight of the Russian Jews she met. . . these experiences influenced her writing."
The poem, "The New Colossus," positions Lady Liberty as a beacon for and patroness of immigrants, welcoming the "huddled masses" and "those yearning to be free." She's the "Mother of Exiles," a symbol of peace who offers "world-wide welcome" to all. Here's the poem in full:
The New Colossus, by Emma Lazarus (November 2, 1883)
Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,
With conquering limbs astride from land to land;
Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand
A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame
Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name
Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand
Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command
The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.
"Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!" cries she
With silent lips. "Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!"
Sadly, if you want to go see Lady Liberty, symbol of hope and opportunity, and beacon for the downtrodden, you might want to do it soon before she gets proclaimed "too woke" by the Trump/Musk regime.
