Anniversary of USAT Merritt
On Saturday, June 16, 2018, the Russian Museum of Culture in San Francisco held an event commemorating the arrival of the US Army Transport Merritt at Angel Island on July 1, 1923, carrying 526 Russian refugees who had fled from Vladivostok as the Bolsheviks closed in. Historian Maria Sakovich and Eugenia Baily, whose parents Paul and Mary Nikonenko were married on their journey on the Merritt, were both speakers at the event. Read more stories from our Immigrant Voices archives about the Russian refugees who arrived at Angel Island during that tumultuous summer of 1923.
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USA Today: No Need to Disparage Immigrants
AIISF Board President Buck Gee co-wrote an article for USA Today, commenting on President Trump’s dismissive comments towards Haitian and African immigrants. At Angel Island Immigration Station, we recognize that name-calling and pejorative remarks aimed at entire ethnic groups is an unfortunate repetition of our nation’s racist past, namely the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and unfair detention practices. We hope that our society can learn from this difficult history.
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America's Complicated History with Immigrants
Katherine Toy, AIISF board member, wrote a response to the New York Times article, “135 Years Ago: Travel Ban News”. Ms. Toy notes that America has struggled with each wave of immigrants and hopes past practices will not be repeated.
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