AIISF Newsletter / February 2021
A Message From AIISF’s Executive Director
First of all, Gung Hay Fat Choy to everyone who celebrates Chinese New Year or Lunar New Year on February 12! AIISF is excited to ring in the Year of the Ox with a presentation for the Oracle Professional Asian Leadership (OPAL) Employee Resource Group. If your community organization or employee resource group would like for AIISF to speak with your group, please email us at info@aiisf.org.
The month of February also provides us with opportunities to acknowledge several different observances including the annual Day of Remembrance of the internment of Japanese Americans during World War II, the ribbon-cutting ceremony for Kala Bagai Way, and Black / African American History Month, and the launch of our latest addition to the Angel Island Immigration Museum virtual exhibition focused on the immigration hospitals on Angel Island and Ellis Island. We’re excited to host another virtual panel with our sister island on February 25.
We still need your help. Please submit a public comment to the CA PUC and let them know that it's important to have ferry service from San Francisco to Angel Island. You can make a comment here.
Finally, with continued COVID-19 vaccine rollout, perhaps there is finally some light at the end of the tunnel. If you are in California, you can learn more about vaccine distribution in the state at https://covid19.ca.gov/vaccines. Please continue to do your part to protect yourself, your family, and your community by wearing a mask in public and following social distancing guidelines. Hopefully, we can reopen the buildings on Angel Island soon.
Have a prosperous, reflective, and safe month!
Ed
Executive Director, AIISF
Day of Remembrance Webinar
Date: Saturday, February 20, 2021
Time: 10:00 – 11:00 am PT
Register: What Does It Mean To Be An American?
For more information, please email info@tobeamericans.com.
What Does It Mean To Be An American?
February 19th marks the annual Day of Remembrance in observance of Japanese Americans' internment during World War II. Former US Secretary of Transportation Norm Mineta’s mother Kane had her special board of inquiry to enter the US on Angel Island in 1914. Later, during WWII, the Mineta family were among the 120,000 Japanese Americans who experienced forced relocation and incarceration.
AIISF is proud to be a community partner for the What Does It Mean To Be An American? - Day of Remembrance Webinar on February 20 sponsored by the Mineta Legacy Project, SPICE, JANM, and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library Foundation and Institute.
Black / African American History Month
The month of February is recognized as Black / African American History Month. While there were significantly fewer immigrants from the African diaspora who were processed and detained at Angel Island, we do know that individuals from Ghana, Jamaica, Mauritius, South Africa, and Tanzania spent time there.
We invite you to revisit our virtual Tastes of Home Exhibit’s Gallery on Food, Racial Equity, and Civil Rights to explore the s between immigrant rights and civil rights.
Kala Bagai Way Ribbon Cutting Event
Date: Thursday, February 11, 2021
Time: 3:00 pm PT
Kala Bagai Way Dedication
This week, we are also excited to celebrate the renaming of a street in Berkeley, CA as Kala Bagai Way on February 11. Read more about the Bagai family’s journey to the U.S. via Angel Island here. After the family bought a home in Berkeley, their neighbors prevented them from moving in.
Ellis Island/Angel Island Exhibit and Discussion
This month, we launched our latest addition to the Angel Island Immigration Museum virtual exhibition. In our new Ellis Island/Angel Island online exhibit, we are excited to partner with the Save Ellis Island Foundation.
Join us on February 25 for an online panel featuring Casey Dexter-Lee of Angel Island State Park and Jim Peskin of the Save Ellis Island Foundation as they compare and contrast both the medical inspections and the preservation efforts of each island’s hospital.
Register for our February 25th event here.
Proposed Ferry Service Change: Submit a Comment
In late 2020, Blue and Gold Fleet submitted a request to permanently stop their ferry service between San Francisco and Angel Island. It is estimated that half the visitors who go to Angel Island have taken the Blue and Gold Ferry.
Please consider submitting a public comment and tell the CA Public Utilities Commission that "It is important to have direct ferry service from San Francisco to Angel Island." You can do so at https://apps.cpuc.ca.gov/apex/f?p=401:65:0:ADDPC:NO:::