AIISF Newsletter / May 2025
A Message From AIISF’s Executive Director
Dear AIISF Friends and Family,
This past Saturday, I had the opportunity to join many of you in celebrating our 2025 Immigrant Heritage Award recipients Elizabeth Acevedo, Zinhle Essamuah, and Valarie Kaur for their courageous storytelling, journalism, and advocacy, as well as this year’s Spirit of Angel Island recipient Grant Din for his years of service and championing of Angel Island and AIISF.
Looking out across the jam-packed room, the evening was a lovely reminder of how important it is for our community to come together, to share our stories and voices, and to find opportunities to connect and celebrate despite challenging times. Congratulations to all four trailblazers. Thank you to all of our generous sponsors, guests, and volunteers; to our musical performers The Complements; Lee’s Florist & Nursery for the beautiful flower arrangements; and the team at China Live for the delicious food and drinks.
Many of you have reached out after learning about the abrupt termination of our National Endowment for the Humanities grant, which was covered by CBS News’ Max Darrow, and the likely termination of our Institute of Museum and Library Services grant. Thank you for your sentiments and your support. We are continuing to explore our options, including seeking potential sources of alternative funding to fill the 10% gap in our annual budget due to the loss of these two grants.
This month, we welcome Christian Merfeld to AIISF’s Board of Directors. Christian is of Cambodian American heritage and currently serves as Boston Harbor Now’s Director of Communications. Welcome, Christian!
May marks the celebration of both Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific American Heritage Month and Jewish American Heritage Month. We hope that you will join us for our programs, and we encourage you to check out APA Heritage Foundation’s month-long calendar of activities around the Bay Area. AIISF will also be presenting at the Association of American Museum’s Annual Meeting as well as at the Resistant and Resilient Congress: How Museums Navigate Times of Crisis conference hosted by the Muzeum Emigracji in Gdnyia, Poland.
Having had the opportunity to hear Huang Ro’s Angel Island Oratorio for String and Voices performed by Del Sol Quartet multiple times, I strongly encourage you to get tickets for this Sunday’s performance by the Oakland Ballet Company (OBC) at the Paramount Theater in Oakland. The music, inspired by Angel Island’s poetry, is already powerfully evocative, and I look forward to how OBC’s ballet performance will add another dimension to the work.
Wishing you all rest and resilience,
Edward Tepporn
Executive Director
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.
Upcoming Events
Honoring AAPI Heritage Month: PORTSCast
May 2 | 9 - 10 am PST
On Zoom | Click here to learn more
May is AANHPI Heritage month!
Join the staff of Angel Island State Park and AIISF in a webinar as they recount stories of Asian immigrants and the history of the Immigration Station.
Registration is required.
Angel Island: Legacies of Exclusion and Uplifting the Stories of Immigrants
May 6 | 4 - 5 pm PST
On Zoom | Click here to register
Join Facing History and AIISF for an online workshop to mark 143 years since the signing of the Chinese Exclusion Act.
Educators will explore resources to help students engage with the the history of the Angel Island Immigration Station and think critically about borders, including geographic, social, economic, and political.
hands on history
May 10 | 11 am - 2:30 pm
Angel Island Immigration Museum
Click here to learn more
Take a trip out to the island and make some art while learning about the history of Angel Island!
We’ll be set up in the Angel Island Immigration Museum.
There’s no need to pay for admission or sign up; this event is both free and open to the public.
"Enemy Aliens" at Angel Island
May 13 | 12 - 1 pm PST
On Zoom | Click here to register
After the attack on Pearl Harbor, hundreds of Japanese Americans were arrested in Hawaiʻi. Some were processed through Angel Island before being transferred to internment camps.
Join AIISF's Danielle Wetmore and Densho's Brian Niiya to view videos about these events, made in collaboration with descendants of the men who experienced them.
Learn about the Alien Enemies Act and Angel Island’s role as a WWII detention site, and make connections between past and present.
This event is free but registration is required.
Tiburon AAPI Heritage Festival 2025
May 17 | 1 - 4 pm
Zelinsky Park, Belvedere Tiburon
Click here to learn more
Join us for the Tiburon AAPI Heritage Festival 2025, a day of cultural celebrations, delicious food, traditional performances, and more!
Immerse yourself in the rich heritage of the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities through art, music, and dance, as well as exhibits.
AIISF will be there sharing the history of the island and giving a short talk.
This in-person event is free to attend.
Border Surveillance: Places, People, and Technology
April 2 - May 26
Angel Island Immigration Museum
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF)'s exhibit, Border Surveillance: Places, People, and Technology, is on display at Angel Island Immigration Museum!
Come and learn about the history of border surveillance at the U.S. - Mexico border, current surveillance technology infrastructure, and possible future technology deployments such as augmented reality and artificial intelligence.
Media Moments
Del Sol Quartet's Sounds Current, Season 1: Angel Island | Bonus Episode with Ed Tepporn
Check out the latest episode of Del Sol Quartet's award-winning podcast, Sounds Current: "BONUS: Building a Future of Inclusion and Belonging Amidst the Complexities of the Immigrant Experience with Ed Tepporn"!
Listen as AIISF's Executive Director, Ed Tepporn, and host Charlton Lee discuss the legacy of Angel Island and the nuances of what immigration means to this country now and in the future.
Community and Partner Events
APA Heritage Awards & Gala Reception
May 1 | 5:30 pm
Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Ave, San Francisco
Click here to learn more
Come to the 21st Annual APA Heritage Awards & Gala Reception, San Francisco’s official AAPI Heritage Month celebration!
The APA Heritage Awards is a signature program of San Francisco’s celebration of Asian American & Pacific Islander Heritage Month. Every year, the AAPI Heritage Celebration Committee honors civic organizations that have achieved significant milestones in serving the community.
This year’s theme, “Energizing The Next Generation,” highlights the importance of youth leadership. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required.
Oakland Ballet Company's Dancing Moons Festival
May 4 | 3 pm
Paramount Theatre, Oakland
Click here to learn more
Commissioned by the Del Sol Quartet in 2020, Huang Ruo composed Angel Island, an oratorio inspired by poetry at the immigration station.
Now, the piece has been transformed into a dance work featuring 12 Oakland Ballet Company members and created by 7 AAPI choreographers.
See the full performance this Sunday! There will be live musical accompaniment by the Del Sol Quartet and vocal ensemble Volti with conductor Dr. Wei Cheng.
CAAMFest 2025
May 8 - 11 | San Francisco Japantown
Click here to learn more
CAAMFest is the nation's leading showcase for films from Asian America and beyond. This year, the program reflects on the histories that have shaped our present.
Watch both American and international films which invite contemplation of the origins and bounds of Asian America, while shining a spotlight on movement-building within and beyond the United States.
The program also commemorates the 50th Anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War.
Chinatown Pride 2025: Silent Disco Fundraiser
May 24 | 7 -10 pm
Chinese Culture Center of San Francisco (CCC)
Click here for tickets
Join Chinatown’s first Silent Disco on May 24! Dance, enjoy music, drinks, and support LGBTQIA2S+ & immigrant communities.
Co-presented by CCC and Edge on the Square, the evening is part of Chinatown Pride 2025: We are Immortal! Two DJs will spin simultaneously on separate channels, featuring nostalgic Asian oldies, international hits, EDM, and pop music. Attendees can switch between channels and control their own volume for a personalized experience.
Headsets are limited and tickets are required; reserve yours today!
All Eyes On Us: Invention & Ingenuity During Artistic Diasporas
March 27 - December 13
Edge on the Square
Click here to learn more
Visit All Eyes on Us at Edge on the Square!
The exhibition spotlights “hidden dragons”: individuals whose artistic careers, practices and expressions shape-shifted or became dormant as they navigated the complexities of immigration, assimilation and survival.
Featuring sound art, installations, and more, the exhibition centers Asian American and diasporic stories of resilience, ingenuity and triumph over adversity.
Community Resources
Higher Education Legal Services
The Higher Education Legal Services Project provides free immigration legal services to California Community Colleges students, faculty, and staff.
This California-funded effort connects trusted legal service providers with individuals in need to assess their unique case and plan for their future.
Services include basic immigration legal assistance, as well as education and outreach.
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.