AIISF Newsletter / September 2023
A Message From AIISF’s Executive Director
Feliz Mes de la Herencia Hispana! (Happy Hispanic Heritage Month!)
Did you know that there is at least one historic inscription in Spanish inside the former detention barracks at Angel Island? Enrique Piton was an immigrant detained on Angel Island in 1932. You can learn more about him at point 21 on this virtual tour, and see if you can find the inscription on your next trip out to the site.
Inside the Angel Island Immigration Museum, you can learn about Erica Alfaro and her family’s experiences in the US. You’ll also see several exhibits that draw parallels between the exclusion, detention, and family separation that immigrants at Angel Island endured with what is taking place on the US southern border today.
AIISF is proud to have recently joined the Chinese American Heritage Network. Learn more about the other organizations and sites here.
Buildings (and all the individual and family stories connected to them) are precious historical and cultural resources. That’s why all of us on AIISF’s Board and Staff work so tirelessly alongside our colleagues at Angel Island State Park to preserve and maintain the immigration station site. And it’s why we are heartbroken for the people of Lahaina and for our colleagues at the Wo Hing Museum & Cookhouse; their historic building burned down in the fire last month.
En solidaridad (In solidarity),
Edward Tepporn
AIISF Executive Director
Fall Field Trip Scholarships
Teachers! Time to book your field trips to Angel Island this fall. Spaces are limited. Once you have booked your tour date with State Parks here, apply for a scholarship from us here.
We prioritize funding Title I schools as much as we can, but scholarships are available to all classes grades 4-12.
Doors Open California
September 9 | 11:00 to 12:30 pm
US Immigration Station
Registering for Doors Open California gives you access to exclusive “behind-the-scenes” experiences at over 70 unique and fascinating places in all corners of the state, including Angel Island.
We're offering a guided tour of the Immigration Station on Saturday, September 9th. Limited spots still available: first come, first served through Doors Open.
The Vault: Explore New Maps of the Site
The Immigration Station was once home to hundreds of plant varieties from all over the world, some of which can still be found today. Test out a Google-powered map on your next visit to discover them all.
Once the center of operations of the site, the administration building comes back to life with new research, historic photos, and 20 color plans showing how it was used by staff and immigrants.
Community Events
Edge on the Square's 2nd Annual Contemporary Art Festival: Under the Same Sun: Reimagining the Edges of Chinatown!
September 30 | 5:00 -10:00 pm
Chinatown
The one-day event will spotlight API artists and their multimedia artworks, installations, activations and performances throughout the neighborhood. Alongside cultural partners, arts organizations, and community residents, a collective voice will amplify unity and sing solidarity all over the streets of our beloved Chinatown with art, music, food, performances and much more. Learn more here!
Facing Challenges and Limitations, Where do Organized Chinese Associations Get Respect? (Bay Area Chinese Genealogy Group)
Thursday, Sept. 14 | 6:30 pm
On Zoom (register HERE)
Chinese Tongs, or organized associations, have served five generations of Chinese Americans for over 175 years. They have earned respect for their contributions to the Chinese American community, but they also face multiple challenges and limitations. Learn about Chinese Family Tongs/Associations and how they impacted your ancestors and may impact you today.