Thaindian News

New York, Apr 23 (THAINDIAN NEWS) Singer Bruce Springsteen was awarded with the ‘Ellis Island Family Heritage Award’ by the Statue of Liberty-Ellis Island Foundation. The foundation said that it was presenting the award to all the immigrants or the descendants of the immigrants “who have made a major contribution to the American experience.”

Along with Bruce Springsteen the other immigrants who were honored included investment banker Peter G. Peterson; Avon Chairman and CEO Andrea Jung, and NBA All-Star Dikembe Mutombo.

Bruce Springsteen has his roots in Europe, and when he was presented the award then he was accompanied by his mother and aunts, whom he said were the woman who “provided me with place” and “filled my family and all of my work with great meaning”. He also said that, “You can’t really know who you are and where you’re going unless you know where you came from”.

Bruce Springsteen maternal great grandmother was the ‘original immigrant’ who migrated from Vico Equense, Italy to Ellis Island on the 3rd of October 1900 with five children. Bruce’s maternal great grandmother came to Ellis Island, as her husband Raffaele was already in the United States. Later Bruce also spoke about the experience in a song ‘American Land’ in which he said “I docked at Ellis Island in a city of light and spires.”