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The little-known Asian American history preserved on Angel Island (Axios San Francisco)

May 3, 2023

By Shawna Chen

From afar, Angel Island appears a vision of paradise.

Yes, but: Run your fingers along the plaster peeling off the building's walls, and you'll find a different story.

  • Green algae and spreading mold. Pencil drawings of birds and etched columns of poetry. The Chinese characters carry a haunting lament: "When can I get out of here?"

  • In U.S. history, Ellis Island is the one that dominates conversations about immigration. On the opposite coast, Angel Island stood in stark contrast — an immigration port that served as over 500,000 people's first point of contact between 1910 and 1940.

Between the lines: When I first visited the old station — now a state park — it was eye-opening. This was history I never knew despite growing up in the Bay Area.

  • We'd learned so much about Ellis Island in school, but not one word about the half a million people who passed through Angel Island.

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