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	Recognition of Asian-American history Submitted by sunhat, Other US I was astounded to learn on the Angel Island webpage (aiisf.org) that this is one of only two national landmarks related to Asian American history, and it's the only one that has anything to do with the Chinese people (the other national landmark is the Japanese internment camp Manzanar). I feel that this site should be preserved, if only to recognize and honor the history of Chinese Americans, an ethnic group that has become an integral part of the American fabric. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Angel Island Immigration Station of National Importance Submitted by Lisa, South Bay The Angel Island Immigration Station is not only of regional importance, but is of NATIONAL significance. As a west coast entry point to the United States in the early 20th century, it's a foil to Ellis Island on the east coast. It provides a kind of symmetry both literally and figuratively to the story of American immigration. While we pride ourselves as a nation which gave refuge and hope to immigrants fleeing persecution abroad, we are also a nation that is concerned with the influx of immigrants to point of restricting certain groups from entering. AIIS is a prominent symbol of this ambivalence that we struggle with. Therefore, I think the preservation of the Angel Island Immigration Station is vitally important to remind us of this history as we deal with current immigration concerns. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Grandfather detained as a teen. Submitted by D. Chan, San Francisco My grandfather came to the US in 1937, and had to go through Angel Island. As a 17-year-old Chinese teenager, he was held there for nearly 6 months--and he was nearly deported. The questions that he had to answer were so obscure and detail-oriented that they WERE racist in intent. I am 22 years old, and I live with my grandfather and my grandmother. A few years ago, I went to the San Bruno Archives and got to see first-hand my grandfather's authentic papers, his pictures when he went through the station, and the immigration papers of his father (my great-grandfather), and my great-great-grandfather. I went to Angel Island for the first time in 2003. I walked the very steps that my grandfather was forced to walk. I saw the grooves in the floor where numerous men and women were thrown into and held in, almost like a jail. There were also Japanese, Italian, and German detainees held at Angel Island. DON'T let a piece of history fade...don't let a shameful part of US history be forgotten. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Angel Island was my family's entry point Submitted by Liz Young, Other US Coming from South China, my mother was held for 3 months at Angel Island when she tried to enter the U.S. It was a harrowing experience for her as she was separated from her parents who were already living in San Francisco. She spent the whole time in fear, worrying that she would not be reunited with her family, afraid that she couldn't answer the questions correctly and be deported. Angel Island represents the collective experience of many Chinese in America before 1965. Comments (1) \| Comment on this story
	Ellis Island of the West Submitted by Don, Other US I feel it is very important to preserve and re-open Angel Island Immigration Station for it is indeed the Ellis Island of the West coast. I was fortunate to visit Angel Island a few years ago during a short visit to San Francisco and was very moved by the exhibits. The Station is an important part of San Francisco's history and the history of immigration to the United States and should be preserved for this reason. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Angel Island History is Critical Submitted by Rachelle, San Francisco My grandparents came through Angel Island from China, according to our family history. I remember my grandmother Pearl telling me she had to stay there about six months when she was sent from China to marry a Chinese man here in the San Francisco Bay Area. She did not know him at all, and of course she missed her family greatly. She said it was the saddest period of her life and she cried all the time. I went to Angel Island as a young adult and did go on a very touching tour of the facilities. It made a huge impression on me and helped me connect to my grandmother's experience. Now, I have children, and would like to bring them to see part of their family history. I am sad to hear the facilities on Angel Island are not open. This is why I support making this important grant to Angel Island. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	All aboard for Angel Island Submitted by Judy, North Bay I was on the first ferry that took bicycles to Angel Island. I think it was sometime in the 70's, and I was with Mrs. Terwilliger, the noted Marin County naturalist. There was a small group of us, and our picture was in the Marin IJ, showing us getting on the ferry with our bikes. When we arrived, we rode around the island and saw the old buldings including the Immigration Station, but at that time, nothing has been restored, and we couldn't go into any of the buildings. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	The Chinese Exclusion Act Submitted by Student, South Bay Can I tell you what I learned? I'll take that as a yes. I learned that it was hard for the Chinese to get into America because of the law passed called the Chinese Exclusion Act. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	A tribute to all Chinese Americans Submitted by Student, South Bay I learned so much more about the immigrant's lives. I had not realized the incredible hardships they had to go through to enter a country in which they were not accepted....I do not quite understand why the Chinese Americans chose to preserve the Immigration Center which holds so many awful memories. Either way, I'm glad they have made that decision. I really enjoyed the tour and liked trying to figure out the possible interpretations for the poems. Comments (2) \| Comment on this story
	Generations of education and history Submitted by Nan Senzaki, Other California I first visited Angel Island while an undergrad at Cal in the late 70s, visited again with friends in the 80s and was reminded of its importance recently, as a parent. My son's 5th grade teacher noted how she wanted to take her class to Angel Island last year but discovered it is being restored/renovated. I would love for my kids to visit Angel Island as it made such an emotional impact on me...to see the writings on the wall of the detainees and imagine what the immigrant experience had been. My grandparent's immigrated as Japanese laborers and I think it's important for every generation (and everyone) to learn more about the challenges and contributions symbolic of all immigrants in Angel Island! Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	The Chinese. . .and others Submitted by Carolyn, South Bay Angel Island was also a place for the government to hold people being deported. My dad tried to enter the US illegally, from Canada, in the 1920s. He was held at Angel Island along with some "undesireables" such as rum runners who were being deported. They were in a separate building from the Chinese, and unlike the Chinese, their stays were short and their fates clear cut. My dad's time there wasn't too bad, and he was able to re-enter legally shortly thereafter. He always said he felt sorry for the Chinese being held there, because their fate was uncertain for so long when they arrived at the island. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	New World for a Little Boy Submitted by Jimmy, Other US It was 1940 when I arrived at Angel Island as a 7 year-old with my older brother. We crossed the Pacific on the Presidential Line, President Cleveland, which took a month. We were interned for 3 months at Angel Island. There were rows of double-deck bunk beds lined up in the open in a basketball court where we stayed and slept. There was no privacy to speak of. Three basic meals were provided for each day. Everyone had to line up for meals. At lunch and supper one could add a fried egg by paying a few cents more. Breakfast was usually just rice congee with a fried croeller. The entire group of detainees were Chinese. Only the guards were caucasians. As usual, there were small time gambling by the Chinese. On our release, we took the railroad to New York City, which took a week. We started school at first grade and advanced rapidly. Not knowing any English, I learned to communicate within six months. We were the only minority in the whole school. The first grade teacher, Miss Emma Mellert, and the Principal, Miss Goodwin, kept in touch with me through my marrigage and first born child until they passed away. We lived in the basement of the laundry that my father operated. The Second World War started within a year. My mother could not come to the U.S. with us because of the Chinese Exclusion Act which didn't allow Chinese wives in. Father had to close the laundry and worked in a General Motors defense plant in Linden, New Jersey, building fighter planes. I wasn't 10 years old when they put me into an Espiscopal orphanage. I stayed in 2 orphanages until my mother could come to the U.S. after the war. I went to C.C.N.Y. which I graduated 4 years ahead of Gen. Colin Powell. I have worked as a chief bacteriologist for a drug company, in government service, in the import-expor business and as a restaurant owner. I' ve been retired for 10 years now and have 2 grandchildren. I am currently experimenting in aqua-culture - shipping live fish without water and resusitating them in swimming condition at their destination. I am raising hundreds of talipia in my swimming pool for that purpose in Florida. I hope Angel Island can be restored, so I can visit it to bring back long ago memories. Comments (1) \| Comment on this story
	Fox Oakland Theater Submitted by Annabelle, East Bay I am a student at Oakland School for the Arts, and we are looking forward to moving in to the Fox Oakland Theater. We don't have enough money to fix up the theater, but we are still working on it. If we were to receive this $1 million dollar opportunity, the Fox will be back on its feet and running. Open to the public during our shows, and the Fox will be looking just as great as it did back in the day. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	Documentary Film Submitted by Bert, North Bay Click here to see a short film I made on the immigration station http://www.current.tv/watch/11899828 Comments (1) \| Comment on this story
	An Unforgettable School Tour Submitted by Ruth, North Bay When I was a little girl at Grattan Grammar School in SF, a few of us "good" students were taken on a tour of Angel Island. There were still detainees there. I remember seeing a little old lady, no bigger than we were, curled in a fetal position on a wooden pallet. That vision has remained in my mind all these years, and I am now 84. I believe the restoration and preservation of the Immigration Station for the public, especially the school students, is vitally important. Comments (1) \| Comment on this story
	My Plymouth Rock Submitted by Felicia, San Francisco My family's history in America began at Angel Island Immigration Station. Even before I knew this, I felt a connection to the site the moment I set foot in the detention barracks where "voices speak out" through poems carved on the walls. This is "Ellis Island of the West" with a distinctive twist. Preserving and restoring this National Historic Landmark will transform a symbol of exclusion to a place of inclusion in American history. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story
	A Detention Not To Be Forgotten Submitted by Joe, North Bay As a descendant of former Angel Island Immigration Station detainees and a state park docent, we compare the experiences of Chinese immigrants who averaged 3.5 weeks of detention here with the average 3.5 hours detention of most European immigrants who entered through the Ellis Island Immigration Station in New York. Harsh anti-Asian laws dictated US immigration policy for 50+ years, and many of our visitors can see the parallels in recent reactions to current immigration to the US. Comments (0) \| Comment on this story