A confession and a plea

Brian Williams, anchor
and managing editor

My confession? I had not been to Ellis Island until today.  My plea? Go...with your loved ones, and as soon as you can—especially if you believe your family roots can be traced through that building.  I was asked to host today, as awards were given to several prominent Americans who can trace their own citizenship back to that grand hall.  I saw people moved to tears today, in just the time I was there—they had made the connection between past and present.  Arrival and survival.  It is a remarkable place.

One follow-up from last night: We (and other news organizations) aired the rare film of James Dean and Ronald Reagan in terms of something "recently unearthed"—but in fact UCLA Professor Angela Aleiss called us to point out that it was used in the 2005 documentary called "James Dean: Forever Young."  I was the writer of the item, and I regret any mischaracterization.

We hope you can join us tonight.