Immigration is a central component of the American narrative. The Library launches a six-week series of film screenings and discussions exploring its history and impact, looking first at the period from 1820 to 1924—the Century of Immigration—when 40 million new arrivals swelled the U.S. population.

Efforts to marginalize Native Americans and their culture could not diminish their transformational impact on popular music, from the Delta blues and jazz to hip-hop. Native artists such as electric guitar pioneer Link Wray, whose instrumental hit “Rumble” was banned from radio, and Jimi Hendrix, who was part Cherokee, forever changed the trajectory of rock and roll.