AIISF Articles
A Tribute to Him Mark Lai
by Felicia Lowe
Noted scholar, historian, writer and advisor to the Angel island immigration Station Foundation, Him Mark Lai, passed away on May 21, 2009. A memorial program will be held on Saturday, June 22 from 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Chinese Culture Center in San Francisco. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the “Him Mark Lai Digital Archive Project” of the Chinese Historical Society of America (CHSA), the “Him Mark Lai Heritage Fund” of the Chinese Culture Foundation (CCF), or Chinese for Affirmative Action (CAA).In memory of Golden Gate National Recreation Area Superintendent Brian O’Neill
by Kathy Lim Ko
Superintendent of the GGNRA since 1986, Brian O’Neill served as a tireless advocate for parks and open spaces. From childhood, he was a lover of the National Parks and dedicated his life to making parks accessible to all people. We will always remember Brian’s smiling face and well wishes as he joined us on Angel Island for the Grand Reopening of the Immigration Station on February 15, 2009. AIISF Board President Kathy Lim Ko offered this tribute to Brian O’Neill.
Read more: In memory of Golden Gate National Recreation Area Superintendent Brian O’Neill
Immigration Past and Present: A Conversation with Bill Ong Hing
Recently I had the opportunity to speak with Bill Ong Hing, Professor of Law and Asian American Studies at the University of California, Davis. With the re-opening of Angel Island taking place in 2009, I asked him for his views and thoughts about the significance of Angel Island.
When I asked him why the Chinese wanted to come to the U.S. he said it was in response to war in Asia, rice famines, and the overall poor conditions and they heard about the opportunities for a better way of life in the United States.
Read more: Immigration Past and Present: A Conversation with Bill Ong Hing
Bewildered
By Louis H. ChuIntroduction
AIISF is proud to reprint Louis H. Chu’s short story, Bewildered, which was published in EASTWIND: Politics and Culture of Asians in the U.S, Spring/Summer 1982. It is a rare account of the detention and interrogation process at the Sansome Street facility, where Chinese and other immigrants were processed after the Angel Island Immigration Station closed in August 1940.
Chinese American novelist Louis Chu (1915-1970) left behind a rich legacy for future generations of Asian American writers. In his novel Eat a Bowl of Tea, published in 1961, Chu portrayed the conflict between a father and son in New York Chinatown with great insight and feeling. Recreating in English the rich textures of his native Sze Yup dialect, Chu captured the vitality of Chinese people and made his characters come to life as real, three dimensional human beings.
Chu’s sensitive handling of characters and situations can be seen in this earlier work, “Bewildered,” which is being published for the first time. “Bewildered” conveys an experience common to many Chinese immigrants – the anxiety that builds while waiting for reunification with one’s family.
We would like to express our gratitude to Mrs. Kang Louie and May Joan Louie for allowing AIISF to share “Bewildered” with you.
Detainee Stories
In the summer of 1997 and 1998, several former detainees returned to Angel Island where they were interviewed in the detention barracks. Here are clips from interviews with Wing Young, Robert Fon Yee, and Harmen Guan Wu.