AIISF Newsletter / September 2021
Pictured: Nico X., Nicaro Estrada Sr., David Campos, Luz Arreola, and Isabel Allende from Immigrant Voices.
A Message From AIISF’s Executive Director
It has been a pleasure to finally get to meet some of you in person on the VIP preview tours of the new Angel Island Immigration Museum (AIIM) over the past few weeks. Your reactions, feedback, and suggestions make me feel even more excited for everyone to have the opportunity to visit AIIM when it opens later this year (exact date TBD).
In AIIM, we highlight several stories of individuals and families who came to the U.S. in hopes of escaping dangerous conditions and persecution.
Rosa Ginsberg was an Austrian Jew who came to the US in 1940 via Shanghai. She spent three weeks in detention on Angel Island. After we shared her story through our Immigrant Voices Project, the Klein family reached out to provide additional details about her journey. (read it here)
Thuy Vu and her family fled their home country of Vietnam in 1975. Thuy, her father, and several siblings traveled by cargo boat and were rescued by an American military ship.
There are several exhibit panels focused on the experiences of refugee and asylum seekers from Mexico, Central America, and South America.
One of the exhibits highlights a U.S. military interpreter from Afghanistan who received a Special Immigrant Visa to resettle in the U.S.
While the former U.S. Immigration Station at Angel Island opened more than 110 years ago, many of the issues of racism, xenophobia, detention, hope, and determination resonate with what is happening now in our nation and around the world. We hope that our exhibits and programs help to spark increased dialog, understanding, and empathy for the immigrants, refugees, and asylum seekers of yesterday, today, and tomorrow.
Wishing you all health and safety,
Edward Tepporn
AIISF Executive Director
Visit Angel Island this Labor Day Weekend
Enjoy your holiday weekend on Angel Island. The Detention Barracks Museum will be open this weekend through Monday, September 6 (Labor Day).
Museum Hours
Wed-Fri - 11:00 am - 2:30 pm
Sat-Sun - 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
Mon (9/6) - 11:00 am - 3:30 pm
If you haven't been to the Immigration Station before or want to prepare for your trip, you can use our new Plan Your Visit guide on our website. For now, ferry service is still available from San Francisco and Tiburon.
A Tribute to Those Who Made a Difference
Tributes are a way to show those we care about how much they mean to us. Throughout the year, our supporters have shared messages of love and appreciation for those they've lost as well as those who have made a difference in their lives.
You can also commemorate a milestone or significant occasion (such as a birthday, wedding, anniversary, holiday, or retirement) by offering a gift to AIISF in honor of someone you love.
Click here to get started.
Chilean immigrant Isabel Allende tells shares her story in AIISF's Immigrant Voices, "The Unexpected Immigrant."
Celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month
Each year, Americans observe National Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15 to October 15, by celebrating the histories, cultures, and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America.
In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, we invite you to discover the following stories in our Immigrant Voices Project.
Also, in our Tastes of Home virtual exhibition, you can view the Smithsonian's Bittersweet Harvest exhibit.
Between 1942 and 1964, an estimated two million Mexican men came to the United States on short-term labor contracts. A little-known chapter of American and Mexican history, the bracero program touched the lives of countless men, women, families, and communities. Both bitter and sweet, the bracero experience tells a story of exploitation but also of opportunity.
Virtual Meeting with AIISF’s Executive Director
Earlier this summer, AIISF conducted a survey to get your input on what we are doing well, what could be improved, and considerations for the future. On this Zoom meeting, we'll share back the results. You’ll also have the opportunity to chat and connect directly with AIISF’s Executive Director Edward Tepporn to share your input and suggestions.
AIISF Community Survey Talk-Back
September 29, 2021 / Online
5 pm Pacific / 8 pm Eastern
Register here
Upcoming Events
Author Spotlight with Chris Baron
September 22, 2021 / Online
5 pm Pacific / 8 pm Eastern
Click here for tickets
The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation will be hosting a FREE online event with author, poet, and educator Chris Baron to discuss his book The Magical Imperfect. Written for middle-school grade audiences, the book tells stories of deep family connections and finding empathy in the most difficult and unexpected places. Attendees will be entered into a raffle for a copy of the book!
About the Book
It’s autumn 1989 in the San Francisco Bay Area. The Giants have a chance at the World Series, and small earthquakes are occurring with increasing frequency. After his mother is admitted to a hospital, 12-year-old Etan (a budding artist), stops speaking. Since his father works construction all day, Etan spends afternoons with his Jewish grandfather, who immigrated from Prague in 1940 and was detained on Angel Island. Etan watches him repair jewelry, listens to his musings on faith and the old days, and runs errands for the neighbors. One errand leads him to the home of Malia Agbayani, a solitary Filipina girl known cruelly among school children as “the creature” due to her acute eczema. Etan and Malia quickly bond. As their friendship deepens, they find solace and support—and, in the nearby forest, seek a magical cure for Malia’s skin.
Zoom details will be provided after registering for the event.