July 23 Angel Island Dedication

From the Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation:

Dear Friends,

This  4th of July heralded the nation’s 235th birthday.  It is always a great day of celebration for it reminds us of the ideals and revolutionary fervor that cast our country’s foundation.

In a similar way, the upcoming July 23 dedication of the Immigrant Heritage Wall reminds us of the passion that fuels the drive to consecrate this collection of 100 year old buildings.  Very few people are alive today who passed through the Immigration Station’s doors, but their stories of courage and perseverance live on through descendants who carry the torch of knowledge and remembrance.  The Immigrant Heritage Wall, which contains 200 plaques, upon which multiple generations acknowledge their immigrant ancestors is a remarkable achievement.  It is a  concrete manifestation of a collective will enabling  once buried stories emerge from the murk of time to assert their rightful place in America’s evolving story. 

AIISF wishes to thank the California State Parks for making this wall available to us. Most of all, we wish to thank the hundreds of donors who gave to  the Centennial Campaign to create the Immigrant Heritage Wall and to support the Immigrant Voices project.  Because of your generosity, our stories will be told for  years and years to come imparting lessons that will hopefully further reconciliation and humane treatment of immigrants.

Best regards,

Eddie Wong

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