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Here are two pieces of reflections on what Angel Island means to us today, from two of our planning committee members, Craig Wong and Rev. Harry Chuck.
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From Craig Wong, leader in the SF Interfaith Immigration Coalition, and a member of Grace Fellowship Community Church, July 2010.
History repeats itself.
My name is Craig Wong, and I represent religious leaders of Chinese ancestry who recognize today’s egregious immigration situation as a dark repeat of our own experience in 1900s San Francisco.
Our memory is Angel Island, built in 1910 to tighten the flow of Chinese immigration in a way that was isolated, quarantined, prevented escape. There, my grandmother contemplated suicide. Unsanitary and crowded, detainees languished in despair for months on end, as described by this poet:
When I arrived in America, all I could do was gaze at the sea in vain. Jail room after jail room, the lock of the gate is secure. Brothers cannot pass one word to each other, separated as if by mountains. The barbarians become angry with us…they kick and punch us severely. They scrutinize us like a prince inspecting his soldiers. They trap us with schemes, with multiple levels of encirclement. Like a pig chased into a basket, we are sternly locked in. We are not even the equal of cattle or birds. How can we suppress our cries?
Angel Island closed in 1940, but things didn’t get better at the new facility here at 630 Sansome. On Sept 21st, 1948, the Chinese wife of a US Army vet hung herself in this very building because she could no longer endure the interrogations, the separation from her husband, and the weary wait for possible deportation. Chinese advocates spoke out:
The US is the most democratic country in the world, its government most efficient, yet in this immigration case, it has strangely spent several months, even years. Upon arrival, immigrants are held for months while a hair-splitting investigation is made. There is no denying the far greater ease with which members of the white race can enter the country as compared to the Chinese. This prejudice of American immigration policy is apparent to all. Racial discrimination and unfair treatment lead to social and even international conflict. So to enhance goodwill, the far-seeing authorities should not overlook these discriminatory immigration practices.
As Chinese religious leaders, we stand in solidarity with our Latino, Middle Eastern, African and Asian immigrant brothers and sisters who are currently suffering under the same conditions we did a century ago in this very place. We join with the voices of our ancestors in calling for sober reflection on the deterioration of our nation’s soul. We call ourselves, our faith communities, our entire nation to repentance from our self-preservationist fears, our economic idolatries, that are driving the barbaric policies that are literally ripping us apart. May God have mercy on us all.
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From Rev. Harry Chuck, former Executive Director of Cameron House and minister in the Presbyterian Church USA- deliered at the dedication ceremony of a new Interrogation Table exhibit at the Angel Island Immigration Station, July 31, 2010.
My name is Harry Chuck, I am an American of Chinese ancestry. Two generations ago, my maternal grandfather came from China to work on the completion of the transcontinental railroad. Here he met my grandmother who had been sold into slavery prior to her arrival. Fortunately, she was rescued by Christian missionaries and given a new lease on life. That was over a hundred years ago. Like many of you, I have much to be grateful for.
Why are we here to today? We’re here to remind ourselves that America is a nation of immigrants. We’ve come together representing a variety of ethnic and cultural backgrounds. In a word, we’re all different and we’ve gathered to celebrate our diversity…but our differences, instead of keeping us apart, have brought us together in a spirit of solidarity and unity.
Today, here at Angel Island, we will experience a rich repository of historical imprints left behind by those who preceded us. We will recall through narrative, drama and music the patience and courage which sustained our predecessors through indescribable hardships. We will reflect on their sacrifices which enabled ensuing generations to succeed. Clearly, we are here today because of them. And above all, we’re here to affirm our place in the continuum of history begun over a century ago.
We are grateful to our Miwok brothers and sisters for the reminders that there is something here which is precious and timeless. And this treasure is embedded in the spirit of Angel Island and all that it signifies for each of us.
Thus, today, we celebrate that legacy. There are hundreds of you out here who have thousands of personal stories to share. Don’t leave this island without sharing them with family, friends and even new found friends made today. At the end of the day, we will have become a bit more informed, a bit more enriched, a lot prouder to be part of a nation where immigrants have played a key role. Today, we take our place beside brothers and sisters from every corner of the globe.
If I were to lead you in prayer, mindful of our varied religious backgrounds: here’s what I would say. In a posture of gratitude, may the spirit of this place enter our hearts and minds and touch the lives of our children and our children’s children for generations to come. Amen
