How the Other Half Lived: Life, Death and Public Health in the Tenement
David Favaloro is Director of Curatorial Affairs and Hebrew Technical Institute Research Fellow at the Lower East Side Tenement Museum. He is responsible for interpreting the history of the tenements at 97 and 103 Orchard Street, with an emphasis on research and exhibit development. He also oversees the museum’s preservation, conservation, and collections management programs. He holds a Master of Arts in American History and an Advanced Certificate in Public History from the University of Massachusetts-Amherst.
Overview
The threat of contagious disease has often touched Orchard Street on New York’s Lower East Side. This virtual program explores the personal stories of immigrant and migrant families during three historic public health emergencies: tuberculosis in the 1870s, the 1918 influenza pandemic, and HIV/AIDS in the 1980s. Understand the impact each disease had on the community and on individual families, and Discuss the responses from the medical profession, government agencies, and the media — from generating hysteria to providing help. This program will feature extensive use of archival sources including photographs, newspapers, illustrations, and oral history interviews.