AIISF Newsletter / January 2023
A Message From AIISF’s Executive Director
Earlier this month, I had the opportunity to present at a meeting hosted by the Mellon Foundation’s Humanities in Place program. AIISF, 1882 Foundation, Tenement Museum, and 42 other organizations are part Happy New Year! I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and that 2023 is off to a great start.
First and foremost, on behalf of AIISF's board and staff, I want to thank everyone who supported our end-of-year fundraising campaign. With your collective support, we were able to surpass our goal.
With the strong winds and rain we've received over the last two weeks, many of you may be concerned about the site. There have been some power outages and downed trees on the island, but—thankfully—there has not been any damage at the Immigration Station site.
I'd also like to acknowledge that AIISF marks its 40th anniversary this year. Over the next 12 months, we’ll celebrate this milestone with several activities. On April 29th, we’ll host our Annual Gala and Immigrant Heritage Awards on Angel Island. In June, we plan to bring back our annual Family Day event with performances, speakers, and activities for the entire family. Stay tuned for more announcements about other programs and events we will host to recognize AIISF's significant milestone.
This month, we are excited to welcome two new board members: Paurvi Bhatt, CEO of the Medtronic Foundation, and Stephanie Isaacson of the PG&E Foundation. We also want to express our deep gratitude to our long-time board president, Buck Gee, as he completes his term and transitions off the board after over a decade of leadership and service.
Hope to see you all on Angel Island in 2023!
Edward Tepporn
Executive Director
Community Event
National Angel Island Day with the Last Hoisan Poets + Del Sol Quartet
Saturday, January 21, 2023
11 am to 3 pm
This is a de Young Museum program, co-presented by AIISF and UC Berkeley's A Year on Angel Island.
Join the Last Hoisan Poets, Genny Lim, Flo Oy Wong, and Nellie Wong, three descendants of Angel Island immigrants, to commemorate the 113th anniversary of the Angel Island Immigration Station’s opening on National Angel Island Day. Their performance “Echoes from Angel Island” is dedicated to the ancestors and descendants of Angel Island immigrants and features music by Del Sol Quartet.
Celebrating One Year of AIIM
On January 22, 2022, we celebrated the opening of the Angel Island Immigration Museum (AIIM). The 10-year, multi-million dollar renovation was commemorated with a ribbon cutting attended by AIISF board and staff, California State Parks leadership, and many others who helped save the Immigration Station's former hospital.
As we reflect on the museum's successful first year, we would like to recognize all the donors who made this project possible. Because of their support — and the encouragement from everyone who helped spread the word of its opening — we are proud to say that approximately 10,000 visitors explored AIIM's exhibits or attended events at the museum in 2022.
If you have not had a chance to visit AIIM, we hope to see you on the island soon!
SAVE THE DATES! February Events from AIISF
Immigrant Voices LIVE!
A FREE Virtual Storyshare Event
Thursday, February 16, 2023
5 pm Pacific / 8 pm Eastern
Our stories are powerful. So are our voices.
Immigrant Voices LIVE! is a storyshare event that builds upon the 250+ oral histories AIISF has curated over the past decade through its Immigrant Voices project.
We've invited a few members of our national community to share personal stories of their experiences as an immigrant or as someone of immigrant heritage—what has made them feel unwelcome or what has made them feel like they belong.
Black History Month & Chinese New Year
Poetry Reading on Angel Island
Saturday, February 25, 2023
11:30 am to 3 pm
Registration link coming soon!
Poets Chun Yu and Michael Warr co-founded Two Languages/One Community to exchange culture and common experiences between African Americans and Chinese Americans using poetry and translation. You are invited to experience their poems and stories in English and Chinese at the historic Angel Island Immigration Station.