AIISF Newsletter / December 2023

A Message From AIISF’s Executive Director

As we round out the last month of our 40th anniversary year, I want to express AIISF’s heartfelt appreciation for all of the board, staff, volunteers, donors, and community partners who have helped to protect Angel Island over the years. Together we have made significant accomplishments to preserve the site and to uplift its histories. This year alone, there have been so many memorable moments. 

In April, we hosted our Annual Gala and Immigrant Heritage Awards on Angel Island for the first time ever. It was incredibly meaningful to be together in-person and to have the opportunity to present our awards in the site’s Detention Barracks Museum. Please mark April 20, 2024 on your calendars for our next gala!

In June, we brought back Family Day which had been paused for several years due to the pandemic. With over 1000 attendees, this was our largest program on the site in over a decade. Looking out across the sea of diverse, multi-generational visitors as they watched the cultural performances, dined on food made by immigrant entrepreneurs, and engaged with the site’s exhibits, a part of me reflected on how powerful it would be to have 1000 visitors every day of the year.

Our team hosted dozens of additional programs, exhibits, and presentations to help increase knowledge about the site and increase empathy for past and current-day immigrants. As in previous years, our staff had the privilege of leading guided experiences for the descendants of several individuals who were detained on Angel Island. We also had the opportunity to introduce many first-time visitors to the site and to the stories of those who were held there. 

As we look ahead to 2024, it is unfortunately clear that racism and xenophobia are on the rise. Immigration will continue to be used as a wedge issue to pit communities against one another. 

Please consider donating to AIISF during our end of year campaign by clicking HERE. Your support will enable us to continue to host interactive programs and engaging exhibits that encourage all to not only remember Angel Island and its immigrants, but also to leverage these histories and stories to work together towards a more inclusive future.

With deep thanks for your continued generosity, support, and engagement. Happy holidays!

Edward Tepporn
AIISF Executive Director

Event Tomorrow!

Author Spotlight: Curtis Chin

Wednesday, DECember 6 | 6:00 pm PST | On Zoom

Join us TONIGHT for a virtual discussion with author Curtis Chin about his new memoir, Everything I Learned, I Learned in a Chinese Restaurant.

This “vivid, moving, funny, and heartfelt” memoir tells the story of Curtis Chin’s time growing up as a gay Chinese American kid in 1980’s Detroit.

End of Year Giving Campaign

This campaign is one of our two main fundraisers each year. Your contribution - at any level - is meaningful and deeply appreciated.

In celebration of our 40th Anniversary and in appreciation of your donation during our End of Year Giving Campaign (Nov 21, 2023 – Dec 31, 2023), we are offering the following "thank you" gifts:

  • At the $40 and above level, you will be entered into a raffle for a $20 gift certificate to our new Angel Island Immigration Museum gift store. Limited to one raffle entry per person.

  • At the $400 - $3999.99 level, you will also receive one ticket for every $400 to attend one of our VIP group tours (on specific dates TBD) of Angel IslandImmigration Station. Includes roundtrip ferry, shuttle, and lunch.

  • At the $4000 level and above, you will receive one VIP private tour just for you and 9 others. Includes roundtrip ferry, shuttle, and lunch.

New Exhibit Coming Soon

Angel Island Mosaic

Detention Barracks Museum and Online
Opening Friday, December 15

Angel Island Mosaic explores the personal journeys of immigrants from different backgrounds who were detained on Angel Island. Their stories reveal how race, class, and gender shaped both the immigration process and life in the US afterwards.

The exhibit will be on view both online and on Angel Island in the Detention Barracks Museum, thanks to funding from the Robert and Lien Chen Family Foundation, Panda CommUnity Fund, and Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Now Open: AIIM Gift Shop

We are thrilled to announce the opening of our brand-new gift shop at the Angel IslandImmigration Museum. The AIIM Gift Shop is open on Saturdays and Sundays for your holiday shopping needs, and a portion of every purchase goes to support AIISF's future exhibits and programs.

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