AIISF Newsletter / March 2021
A Message From AIISF’s Executive Director
It’s finally starting to feel like we are edging closer to that light at the end of the tunnel. But we’re not out of the woods yet. For now, all AIISF programs and fundraisers will remain virtual. We had planned to host our annual gala in person in June, but we have decided to offer a series of virtual events instead. Stay tuned for more details.
As we celebrate Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day on March 8, please join me in taking a moment to remember all of the women who were processed and detained on Angel Island. We’ll be featuring several of their stories in our social media posts throughout the month. We also honor the contributions of women such as Tye Leung Schulze and Katherine Maurer who provided important assistance to detainees. So follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram!
Let’s also remember the deep and rich legacy of female leaders who have guided AIISF throughout the organization’s history: Connie Young Yu and other founding members of AIISHAC; Felicia Lowe and other founding board members; AIISF’s previous female Executive Directors Katherine Toy, Kathy Turner, Daphne Kwok, and other former staff; previous Board President Kathy Ko Chin and so many other past Board Members; and our current board that includes Vice President Rosemarie Youngran Nahm, Treasurer Dien Yuen, Member-At-Large Darlene Chiu Bryant, Win Chang, Nobuko Saito Cleary, Natalie Huen, and Paula Williams Madison. AIISF would not be the organization it is today without the powerful leadership, sage wisdom, and tireless dedication of these amazing women.
I am beyond thrilled to announce the launch on March 11th of the virtual Angel Island 3D immersive tour, a partnership with CyArk and Angel Island State Park. Until you are able to visit the island in person, this might be the next best thing!
Finally, we want to hear from you! Over the coming months, AIISF’s Board and Staff will be working to develop a strategic framework to guide our programs and efforts over the next 5 years. This is your chance to help inform and guide what the organization will focus on. Please take a few moments to share your perspectives via our online survey (and be entered into a drawing for a $50 gift certificate to Barnes and Noble.)
Wishing you all a healthy and safe month!
Ed
Executive Director, AIISF
CyArk 3D Immigration Station Tour
In partnership with Angel Island State Park, the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation, and with the generous support of Iron Mountain, CyArk produced a web-based education experience utilizing the 3D documentation of the immigration station now freely available to the public. Virtual visitors are able to observe details of select poetry and inscriptions on the walls and gain new insight into the complexities of American immigration history.
The tour was created from data collected on-site including two rooms filled with inscriptions from people all over the world who were detained on Angel Island. In late October, CyArk documented the site using aerial and terrestrial photogrammetry as well as LiDAR or laser scanning. We also documented the stories of the site through interviews with State Park interpreter Casey Dexter-Lee. The educational resource supports new learning opportunities for those interested in the history of US immigration and will support distance education work of California State Parks. The digital resource will provide an opportunity for international audiences to learn about the history of this site and people's stories preserved on the walls.
The Story Behind Shanghai Angel
Co-Presented by the California Genealogical Society and AIISF.
Heather and Jeff Klein will be discussing the story of their grandmother/mother Rosa Ginsberg. Rosa was 16 years old in 1938 when Austria was annexed by Germany. Thousands of Jews, including the Ginsberg family, fled to Shanghai. Two years later, Rosa left her family and set off for America – arriving in 1940 at Angel Island with just $2.50 in her pocket.
Learn about Rosa's journey and see the National Archives documents behind Heather's musical Shanghai Angel.
The Story Behind Shanghai Angel (love, detention, lies)
A free virtual event on Zoom
Date: Sunday, March 14, 2021
Time: 1:00 – 2:30 pm PT
Register: The Story Behind Shanghai Angel
Take our survey for a chance to win a $50 gift card!
As we prepare to open the new Angel Island Immigration Museum later this year, AIISF is in the middle of an important time for reflection and strategizing.
For the past 40 years, we have been focused on saving and preserving the buildings at the former US Immigration Station on Angel Island. While these efforts will continue, we also recognize that it is important for any nonprofit organization to regularly explore how to remain impactful and relevant in changing times.
What do you think AIISF has done well? How can we improve? What would like to see us accomplish in the next 5 years? These are just some of the questions that AIISF's Board and Staff would like to hear your answers to.
Please take a moment to share your important perspectives and suggestions to help inform how we might expand, focus, and/or shift our work in the coming years. Visit this link to take a brief online survey. Everyone who fully completes the survey will be entered into a drawing for a $50 Barnes and Noble Gift Card.
Ellis Island/Angel Island Program
If you missed our Exploring the Immigration Hospitals on Angel Island and Ellis Island virtual session, you can still watch the recording and learn some fascinating histories from Casey Dexter-Lee of Angel Island State Park and Jim Peskin of Save Ellis Island Foundation.
One of the participants for this session was Nancy Anderson of the Knappton Cove Heritage Center in Washington. After the event, she shared the history of the Columbia River Quarantine Station at Knappton Cove with AIISF staff and explained that they have one of the few US Public Health Service lazarettos (pesthouse building) left in America!
AIDS Memorial Quilt Exhibition ends soon!
AIISF is proud to be part of the first-ever 50-state virtual exhibition of the AIDS Memorial quilt featuring thousands of panels from this treasured symbol of activism and remembrance. The exhibit is currently on display until the end of the month.
AIDS Memorial Quilt (until 3/31)
Featured Partner Events
The Chinese Historical Society of America and author Samuel Porteous will present the incredible story of Ching Ling Foo, one of the greatest illusionists ever seen on American soil. He overcame stage attacks, deportation attempts, tragedy, and more to make a remarkable impact on American culture. Presented by CHSA.
Ching Ling Foo: America's First Chinese Superstar
Date: Saturday, March 20, 2021
Time: 12:00 - 2:00 pm PT
Register: Ching Ling Foo: America's First Chinese Superstar