AIISF Announces Opening of Third Online Exhibition: Angel Island Immigration Museum Preview

(SAN FRANCISCO, CA – November 25, 2020) The Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation (AIISF) announced the opening of its third online exhibition: A Preview of the Angel Island Immigration Museum. The exhibition can be viewed for free at www.aiisf.org/aiimexhibit.

From 1910 to 1940, Angel Island (in the San Francisco Bay) was the site of a US Immigration Station where over 500,000 persons from 80 different countries were processed and detained. While its East Coast counterpart at Ellis Island became a symbol of the nation’s welcoming of immigrants, Angel Island’s immigration station was built to enforce the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and similar immigration policies. Angel Island serves as a reminder of the nation’s exclusionary policies and practices, particularly towards Asian and Pacific Islander immigrants.

Today, the site is part of Angel Island State Park and has been designated a National Historic Landmark. After a multimillion dollar renovation, the site’s former hospital building has been transformed into the Angel Island Immigration Museum. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, all of the buildings at the site remain closed, and the grand opening for the Angel Island Immigration Museum has been postponed to 2021. This virtual exhibition offers visitors a chance to preview some of the exhibits and stories that have been installed in the museum.

The virtual exhibition includes three exhibits: In the Shadows, Under the Microscope, and Opening Doors. The exhibits provide a historical overview of US immigration policy from 1910 to today as well as highlight personal stories of immigrants from China, Korea, Vietnam, Russia, Japan, India, Mexico, the Philippines, Austria, and other countries.

“While we are not yet able to invite visitors to physically come to the Angel Island Immigration Museum due to the pandemic, we are excited that this virtual exhibition offers opportunities to still learn about and reflect on Angel Island’s important histories and lessons. We also hope the profiles of immigrants from 1910 to current days serve as reminders of the significant contributions that immigrants have made and continue to make to the US,” stated AIISF Executive Director Edward Tepporn.

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About AIISF

Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation (AIISF) raises awareness of the experience of Immigration into America through the Pacific. As a cooperating association with California State Parks, AIISF collects and preserves the rich stories and personal journeys of thousands of immigrants, and shares them with visitors and everyone living in America through education initiatives and public programs. Angel Island Immigration Station reminds us of the complicated history of immigration in America. It serves as a symbol of our willingness to learn from our past to ensure that our nation keeps its promise of liberty and freedom. To learn more, visit www.aiisf.org.

About the U.S. Immigration Station at Angel Island

From 1910 to 1940, a section of Angel Island was used to process, interrogate, and detain immigrants from over 80 countries. While often referred to as the “Ellis Island of the West”, Angel Island’s immigration station was created to enforce the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882 and other immigration policies created to restrict immigration from Asia and the Pacific. For more information about touring the U.S. Immigration at Angel Island, see www.aiisf.org/visit.