A Message From AIISF’s Executive Director

“This little light of mine… I’m gonna let it shine.”

This song, often associated with the civil rights movement, has a simple yet powerful message that has been playing on repeat in my head over the past few days. During our staff meeting this past Wednesday, I shared a recording of this song by Sweet Honey in The Rock, an all-woman African-American acappella ensemble. (Listen to it here.) I first had the opportunity to hear them in concert when they performed at my college over 3 decades ago. I still remember sitting in our campus theater and feeling the electric vibrations of their voices and harmonies on my skin. 

Like many of you, I have felt something different in my body in recent months; an increasing tension in my gut as the anti-immigrant rhetoric and rallies markedly escalated over this past election season. There are people in this country who may see Tuesday’s results at the national, state, and local levels as permission and license to fuel their anti-immigrant sentiments, discrimination, policies, and violence. 

I believe the election results are a stark reminder of how important our work has been and will continue to be in the years ahead. This month marks my 5-year anniversary with AIISF. During this time, I have had the opportunity to meet many of you. I’ve enjoyed the chance to hear about your family’s connections to Angel Island. I’ve commiserated with many of you about our shared experiences of racism, discrimination, or xenophobia. And I’ve been touched by heartfelt conversations with visitors about the impact of their first time to the site and our shared hopes for a future that is more inclusive. 

My dear friend Dietra shared with me a bit of wisdom that she received after the election: “What to do when it feels like there’s no light at the end of the tunnel? BE the light IN the tunnel.” I don’t know what the future holds for our country. Unfortunately, I wasn’t blessed with that particular superpower. But the ability that I and every single one of us have is the superpower to shine the light of our values through our words and our actions. 

Wishing light to us all,

Edward Tepporn
AIISF Executive Director

Our End-of-Year Fundraising Campaign Is Around The Corner

One of our major fundraisers is our end-of-year fundraising campaign, which will launch in just a few weeks. We are a small organization that relies on the generosity and partnership of community-minded people like you.

Your support will allow us to continue our important work to protect the historic site, elevate its stories, promote learning, and celebrate the new beginnings and immigrant contributions that define the strength of the US.

Our work is perhaps even more important now than ever. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation to AIISF.

Angel Island Immigration Station Poetry Finder

On November 15, Angel Island's Chinese poetry will be available to view for the first time with a new web-enhanced guide called the Angel Island Immigration Station Poetry Finder. The AIIS Poetry Finder allows you to explore, read, listen to, and reflect on the experiences of Angel Island’s immigrants from inside the detention barracks AND at home. The project features...

• Over 140 Chinese poems and their translations

• Room maps showing the locations of the building's poetry

• Photos of the walls with highlighted Chinese text

• Audio recordings of the poems read in their regional dialect

• A virtual exhibit page for at-home exploration

• A QR code-enhanced experience inside the detention barracks

• Accessibility room guides for use on location

AIISF would like to acknowledge the hard work of co-creators and State Park volunteers Sam Louie and Samuel Lee; Angel Island State Park staff; translators Him Mark Lai, Genny Lim, Judy Yung, and Charles Egan; the project's Chinese dialect readers; and our supporters, who made the AIIS Poetry Finder possible.

AIIS Poetry Finder Release Schedule

• Nov. 2024: Room 105

• Dec. 2024: Rooms 109 & 111

• Jan. 2025: Rooms 115 & 116

• Feb. 2025: Room 205

• Mar. 2025: Rooms 206 & 207

• Apr. 2025: Rooms 211 & 213

NEW VAULT POST! Chinese Men's Dormitory

THE VAULT #18: Room 105
Click to view

Take a deep dive into the history of the barracks' Chinese men's dormitory.

Learn about the self-governing association formed by Chinese men and discover what activities helped detainees pass the time. Our latest Vault post includes interviews with ten Angel Island immigrants and features select poems throughout the room.

Room 105 is the first room we visit when the AIIS Poetry Finder is released on November 15.

Upcoming Events

A Cage Built of Jade exhibit

Opening October 10 at the Angel Island Immigration Museum (AIIM).

AIISF's newest traveling exhibit, A Cage Built of Jade, is coming to Angel Island State Park on October 10!

The exhibit faithfully recreates one of the rooms inside the detention barracks and provides a glimpse into Angel Island's history and poetry. See the exhibit before it begins touring museums and libraries across the country in 2025.

Immigrant Stories from Angel Island State Park

November 13 | 9 am - 12 pm PST
Online | Click here to register

November 13 | 1 pm - 4 pm PST Online | Click here to register

Our friends at Angel Island State Park understand it can be challenging for teachers and students to take field trips to Angel Island. On November 13, they will stream immigration stories from the detention barracks all day. Every hour, a new park ranger will guide you through the historic building and teach you about California's immigration history under the Chinese Exclusion Act. They will also share a different poem carved into the walls or a story of an immigrant who passed through the island.

Researching with Ancestry

November 13 | 6 pm - 7 pm PST
Online | Click here to register

The second of our collaborative webinars with Ancestry® will be happening November 13th at 6pm! This time we’ll be diving into Ancestry’s U.S., WWII Japanese Americans Incarcerated in Confinement Sites collection. Hear from Jennifer Utley, a genealogist with Ancestry, and Dr. Duncan Ryuken Williams as they talk about the importance of this history and where to begin searching for it.

Director of Education Danielle Wetmore will be hosting and posing questions from our audience on Zoom.

Click HERE to check out Ancestry's new WWII Japanese Americans Incarcerated in Confinement Sites collection.

America's Field Trip Student Essay Contest

Deadline: April 16, 2025
Click here to learn more

Angel Island Immigration Station is one of the 11 landmarks included in the 2024-2025 America’s Field Trip contest. The contest is part of America250, a nationwide initiative to mark the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

25 first-place awardees from each grade level category and a chaperone will receive airfare and lodging for a 3-day, 2-night trip to a select historical or cultural site of their choice!

Del Sol Quartet on Angel Island

December 14 | 11 am - 3 pm
Detention Barracks Museum | Click here to purchase tickets

On December 14, 2024, Del Sol violinist Hyeyung Sol Yoon will curate a program that explores the long history of Korean immigration to San Francisco, from those seeking refuge from Japanese-occupied Korea in the early 20th century to more recent immigration taking place post-1965.

The program will feature San Francisco-based Korean composer Jungyoon Wie’s “Han,” which incorporates a traditional Korean lullaby and an elegy that represents the complexity of han, a feeling of collective unresolved anger, grief, and regret amongst the Korean people.

The concert will also feature newly created pieces inspired by the responses of Joy from Korean-American elders of the Korean Community Center of East Bay’s Jikimee Senior Leadership Program.

There will be one performance at noon in the Detention Barracks Museum. Please note that the start time of this performance is subject to change.

The performance is free, but a $5 entry to the museum is required.

Community and Partner Events

Opening Reception

Saturday, November 23 | 5 to 8 pm
Orion Custom Framing at 2024 Polk Street

Photographer Chrissy Huhn has spent the past several months documenting Angel Island State Park's under-told natural and cultural history.

Come see this and other stunning photos she captured over multiple trips to the island.