AIISF Newsletter / March 2023
A Message From AIISF’s Executive Director
I hope that you are all staying safe and warm. March is Women’s History Month, although every day should be a day to remember, celebrate, and uplift women and girls. Across our exhibits, programs, board, and staff, we want to especially note that:
1) In the Detention Barracks Museum, there is an exhibit that reminds us that women and girls are also part of Angel Island’s history of immigration, detention, and exclusion. They were detained on the second floor of the former Administration Building. Unfortunately, this building burned down in 1940, along with any poems they might have carved into the walls.
2) In our Immigrant Voices project, we have curated the oral histories of several women and girls. Visit www.immigrant-voices.aiisf.org to read more about the experiences of How Jiu, Kane Mineta, Kala Bagai, and many others.
3) Women have been a core part of the efforts to save and preserve the buildings at Angel Island over the past decades.
Connie Young Yu was one of the co-founders of the Angel Island Immigration Station Historical Advisory Committee (the organization that AIISF evolved out of).
This year, Darlene Chiu Bryant joins Felicia Lowe, Kathy Lim Ko, and Kathy Owyang Turner on the growing list of women who have served as AIISF’s Board President.
The rest of AIISF’s current Board Executive Committee is comprised of women, including Dien Yuen, Natalie Huen, and Win Chang.
Katherine Toy, Daphne Kwok, and Kathy Owyang Turner have previously filled AIISF’s Executive Director shoes.
These are just a few of the many female board and staff members who have served on the organization’s board or staff over the past 40 years. Our current trajectory and impact would not be possible without their past leadership and continuing support.
With gratitude,
Edward Tepporn
AIISF Executive Director
40th Anniversary Gala & Immigrant Heritage Awards
Saturday, April 29, 2023 | 5 pm to 10 pm
Hosted on Angel Island
We’re excited to invite you to a very special after-hours event on Angel Island! This is a rare opportunity to see the buildings illuminated under the evening sky while also supporting AIISF.
This year’s benefit event will include…
An evening cruise from San Francisco to Angel Island.
Dinner al fresco.
Dessert reception at the Immigration Station.
A night cruise back to San Francisco under the stars.
Events from AIISF
Author Spotlight: Jessica Lander
Thursday, March 16, 2023
5:30 pm (PT) / 8:30 pm (ET)
Presented virtually on Zoom
Jessica is an award-winning teacher, writer, and author. She teaches history and civics to recent immigrant students in a Massachusetts public high school and has won numerous awards for her teaching, including being named a Top 50 Finalist for the Global Teacher Prize in 2021, presented by the Varkey Foundation, and being named a Massachusetts Teacher of the Year Finalist in 2022, presented by the Massachusetts Dept. of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Jessica is the author of Making Americans: Stories of Historic Struggles, New Ideas, and Inspiration in Immigrant Education, a co-author of Powerful Partnerships: A Teacher’s Guide to Engaging Families for Student Success, and the author of Driving Backwards.
Immigrant Voices LIVE! Free Storyshare Training
Sunday, April 16, 2023
Join AIISF as well as best-in-class story coaches Dawn and Noilyn to help you find, shape, and rehearse a story. Together we can create a sense of belonging and community through our shared voices and humanity.
You may want to preserve your story for your kids and grandkids. You may be motivated to create a polished and concise story to fight for immigrant rights. Perhaps you are looking for a moment of connection with others who may have experiences like yours. For these reasons and more, join us at the Angel Island Immigration Station for a free one-day workshop on Sunday, April 16th.
After this workshop, there will be an opportunity to share your stories in person and/or virtually. Transportation to Angel Island, lunch, and a tour of the Immigration Station will be included in the event.
Community Event
Wong Kim Ark Day
Saturday, March 25, 2023 at Victory Memorial Hall
The Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association (CCBA) and the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA) are jointly hosting a celebration of the 125th Anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court decision in United States v. Wong Kim Ark :: 169 U.S. 649 (1898) that established that all persons born in the US are citizens. Supported by CCBA in the 1800s, Wong Kim Ark’s case is representative of Chinese American leadership in civil rights for all Americans.
WHEN and WHERE:
Saturday, March 25, 2023, 10:30 am, at Victory Memorial Hall located at 827 Stockton Street in San Francisco Chinatown. The morning event will include presentations by community leaders, historians, and public officials. There will be a brief break from 11:30 am to noon for the second part of the program.
At 12 pm, a reception and panel discussion will be conducted with legal educators and plans for a future permanent public recognition of Wong Kim Ark.
This event is FREE to the public. Please reserve your spot before March 25th, 2023. AIISF is a proud co-sponsor of this event.