Rita Moreno Gives Powerful Reading of 'The New Colossus' on July 4th

EGOT-winning actress and legend Rita Moreno gave a powerful speech at Boston's Fourth of July celebration yesterday, a rare moment of hope for our country.

Moreno began by reflecting on her experience first seeing the Statue of Liberty, and the incredible feeling it evoked within her, before launching into the poem 'The New Colossus' by Emma Lazarus, which is inscribed upon the statue and urges America to welcome all to its shores.

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"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-tossed to me/ I lift my lamp beside the golden door!" she exclaimed.

After that, Moreno, who won her Oscar playing Anita in West Side Story, launched into a rousing rendition of "America," joined by Natalie Cortez, who's also played the character on Broadway.

Take a look below: