AIISF Newsletter / December 2025
A Message From AIISF’s Executive Director
Thank you to our community members who contributed on Giving Tuesday and to our year-end fundraising campaign! Your support is truly appreciated and vital.
As we prepare for the winter holidays, it can seem like the news cycle and social media feeds are filled with story after story reminding us of how turbulent and challenging current times are. Individuals, families, and organizations are facing tough decisions on how to move forward and what to prioritize.
AIISF and other historic sites across the US are facing increasing political pressure to only tell histories that paint the country in a positive light. The communities we serve are experiencing increases in anti-Asian racism, xenophobia, and immigration raids.
We refuse to back down. We stand firmly in our truths. Angel Island's history is complex. It symbolizes diverse experiences of racism, detention, exclusion, hope, and determination. We will not stray from telling the full story of how Asian immigrants endured longer detention, more invasive medical exams, and more intensive interrogations compared to their White counterparts.
We need your support to continue uplifting the past to inspire a more inclusive future. During this year-end giving season, AIISF is seeking to raise $500,000 before December 31.
Here are just a few of the things your donation could support next year:
$5,000 hosts a temporary exhibit that brings new stories to light
$1,000 brings an entire 4th grade class to Angel Island (30+ students)
$500 provides free museum admission for 50 low-income community members
$100 covers shuttle costs for 10 participants on Family Day
So far, our community of supporters has contributed $149,000 toward this goal. We’re making progress, but we need your help to finish strong.
Donations can be dedicated “in memory of” or “in honor of” someone. We regularly update our website’s tributes page. This year, I am donating to AIISF’s end-of year campaign in honor of my parents Monty and Nancy, who taught me the importance of preserving our histories. I am also making a donation to AIISF’s Pathways to Immigration campaign for an engraving in honor of the Tepporn family.
Will you join me this giving season in remembering Angel Island?
Thank you and wishing you and your family a happy holidays,
Edward Tepporn
AIISF Executive Director
Accessibility
The Detention Barracks Museum elevator is temporarily out-of-order. The first floor is still ADA-accessible; the second floor is only accessible by stairs.
Pathways to Immigration Special Campaign
Through our Pathways to Immigration Special Campaign, you can commemorate your own immigration journey, honor your family’s immigrant heritage, or show your allyship with immigrant communities.
Whether you or your family came through Angel Island or elsewhere and whether you arrived in the US decades ago or days ago, we welcome your name and your support.
Immigration Station: December Closure
The museums at the U.S. Immigration Station will be CLOSED Monday, December 22, to Tuesday, December 30.
Angel Island - Tiburon Ferry: Temporary Closure
Updates to the Angel Island - Tiburon Ferry facility are under way! Check their website's calendar for live updates on when ferry services between Tiburon and Angel Island are available.
Questions about the closure? Call (415) 435-2131 or email aiferry@angelislandferry.com.
If you booked a tour during the closure and were planning to take the Angel Island - Tiburon Ferry, please note these alternatives:
Book ferry tickets through the Golden Gate Ferry that departs from San Francisco.
Cancel your tour and reschedule when the new tour dates open.
Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Mother of Exiles
Mother of Exiles
WORLD PREMIERE
by Jessica Huang
Directed by Jaki Bradley
Peet's Theatre | November 14 - December 21
Berkeley Repertory Theatre
One family. 160 years. Love across every border.
In 1898, on Angel Island, a pregnant Eddie Loi faces deportation amid America's tightening immigration laws. A century later, her grandson Braulio, through his role in the Miami border patrol, inadvertently conjures her spirit—unleashing a witty, opinionated ancestor. By 2063, their descendants, beset by climate catastrophe, embark on a perilous oceanic journey seeking sanctuary.
From detention to diaspora, Mother of Exiles follows a single family's century-and-a-half odyssey—tracing their flight, fight, and the futures they dare imagine.
Jessica Huang's multigenerational triptych blends historical drama with supernatural encounters, weaving moments of surprising humor into a powerful portrait of belonging and resilience.
When purchasing your tickets, use the code PLUM for a 50% discount.
Post-Show Community Dialogue with AIISF's Danielle Wetmore
December 11 | 9:30 pm PST
Berkeley Repertory Theatre
Click here for tickets
Buy a ticket to the 8:00 pm showing of Mother of Exiles on Thursday, December 11, to participate in a post-show conversation with our Director of Education, Danielle Wetmore! Through community dialogue, delve into the historical and cultural context connected to the world of the play.
"A Cage Built of Jade" Pop-Up
December 11-14
Berkeley Repertory Theatre
This week, stop by our pop-up exhibit "A Cage Built of Jade" before or after Mother of Exiles!
Find the installation in Michael's Second Act Bar (located at the back of Berkeley Repertory Theatre's Narsai M. David Courtyard) and learn about the history and poetry of the Angel Island Immigration Station.
Field Trips
Spring Tour Times, now open!
Now is the time to reserve guided tours for January through June 2026. Tours are offered by Angel Island State Park Monday through Friday.
Guided tours are for students in 4th grade and higher. For younger students, please reserve a self-guided tour.
Scholarships
Thanks to generous support from donors, we provide local, Bay Area public schools with field trip scholarships! These supplemental funds can help cover transportation costs, tickets, and other expenses related to visiting the Angel Island Immigration Station.
Immigrant Voices
Jennie Wu. Photo courtesy of Walt Lew.
Jennie Wu's Angel Island Story
Between the barracks and the Angel Island Immigration Museum sits the footprint of the immigration station's administration building, which burned down in 1940.
On the night of the fire, eleven-year-old Jennie (Sook Han) Wu was two weeks into her detention on Angel Island. She awoke to "a female guard running through the barracks yelling for everyone to get up and get out."
Her son-in-law, Walt Lew, shared her story with AIISF through our Immigrant Voices program. Visit the Immigrant Voices website to learn more about her journey to the United States, her time on Angel Island, and her life afterward.
If you have a personal immigration story, a family story, or one you have personally researched that you would like to share with us, we encourage you to submit it through the Immigrant Voices site!
Angel Island Partner Events
First Day Hike at Angel Island
January 1 | 10:30 am
Angel Island
Click here to learn more
On January 1, join Angel Island State Park staff for a moderate, 2.5-mile (4 km) guided hike! Walk the island's rolling hills on paved and unpaved trails. Wear layers, good walking shoes, and bring water and a snack/lunch.
ONLY the Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry will run that day. Catch the 10 am Angel Island-Tiburon Ferry service from downtown Tiburon to get to the island!
Community Resources
Asian Law Caucus
Asian Law Caucus, founded in 1972, is the nation's first legal and civil rights organization serving low-income, immigrant, and underserved Asian American and Pacific Islander communities.
Their efforts bring together legal services, community empowerment, and policy advocacy to fight for immigrant justice, economic security, and a stronger, multiracial democracy.
While their work is rooted in the San Francisco Bay Area and California, it also expands to states across the country, including places where immigrant, Asian, Arab, Middle Eastern, and Pacific Islander communities are rapidly growing.
AIISF is a small (but mighty) nonprofit that has worked tirelessly for the past 42 years to preserve the buildings at Angel Island and to elevate the stories of immigrants. Our ability to continue these preservation efforts and to continue to offer free or low-cost programs is dependent on the support of community members like you. Please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to AIISF.