Angel Island is the small, green-forested island that enhances the picture-postcard surroundings of Alcatraz Island, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the San Francisco Bay. Arduous to contemplate, when wanting on the pure pastoral fantastic thing about Angel Island, that the island was the setting for one of the brutal chapters within the historical past of American immigration. From 1910 to 1940, Angel Island served because the principal immigration facility for the 175,000 Chinese language and 60,000 Japanese immigrants coming to the West Coast. Throughout these years, Angel Island was the brute drive utilized to Chinese language immigrants to implement one of many worst legislative acts towards U.S. immigration: the 1882 Chinese language Exclusion Act. Angel Island was no Ellis Island in New York Harbor. At Ellis Island, immigrants have been (or weren’t) admitted to the nation in a matter of hours. At Angel Island, Chinese language immigrants have been held for months—generally over a yr—present process intense interrogations in an try and journey up the immigrants’ histories and ship them again to China.
Photograph by by Frank Schulenburg
At Angel Island, tough barracks have been constructed to deal with the possible Chinese language newcomers and it was in these barracks that we discover the writings of Chinese language Individuals. Throughout their lengthy stays of confinement—not sure whether or not they could be admitted into the U.S. or despatched again to China—these immigrants wrote poetry on the barracks partitions detailing their journey from China, their therapy at Angel Island, their fears and anxieties, joys and hope, all written on the barracks partitions of Angel Island.
Angel Island is open for guests to expertise the super significance of this poetry: it’s a testomony to the energy and fortitude undergone by these Chinese language immigrants—a overcome the brutality that challenged each Chinese language immigrant coming to America.
A small assortment of the Angel Island poetry is reprinted beneath. Please take a look at the definitive guide of Angel Island’s Historical past of Immigration, The Island: Poetry and Historical past of Chinese language Immigration on Angel Island, 1910-1940 by Him Mark Lai, Genny Lim and Judy Yung, eds., 1991, 2014
4 days earlier than the Qiqiao Pageant,
I boarded the steamship for America.
Time flew like a capturing arrow.
Already, a cool autumn has handed.
Relying on my fingers, a number of months have elapsed.
Nonetheless I’m firstly of the street.
I’ve but to be interrogated.
My coronary heart is nervous with anticipation.
I hastened right here for the sake of my abdomen and landed promptly
in jail.
Imprisoned, I’m melancholy; even after I eat, my coronary heart is troubled.
They deal with us Chinese language badly and feed us yellowed greens.
My weak physique can’t take it; I’m actually depressing.
Surprising information, actually unhappy, reached my ears.
We mourn you. When will they wrap your corpse for return?
You can not shut your eyes.
Whom are you relying on to voice your complaints?
For those who had foresight, you must have regretted coming right here.
Now you’ll be endlessly unhappy and endlessly resentful.
Considering of the village, one can solely futilely face the Terrace for
Gazing Homeward.
Earlier than you might fulfill your ambition, you have been buried beneath
clay and earth,
I do know that even loss of life couldn’t destroy your ambition.
On an extended voyage I travelled throughout the ocean.
Feeding on wind and sleeping on dew, I tasted on hardships.
Though Su We was detained among the many barbarians, he would
sooner or later return dwelling.
When he encountered a snow storm, Wengong sighed, pondering of
bygone years.
In days of previous, heroes underwent many ordeals.
I’m, in the long run, a person whose objective is unfulfilled.
Let this be an expression of the torment which fills my stomach.
Go away this as a memento to encourage fellow souls.
Abandoning my writing brush and eradicating my sword, I got here to America.
Who was to know two streams of tears would movement upon arriving right here?
If there comes a day when I’ll have attained my ambition and turn out to be
profitable,
I’ll actually behead the barbarians and spare not a single blade
of grass.
Being idle within the picket constructing, I opened a window.
The morning breeze and brilliant moon lingered collectively.
I reminisce the native village far-off, lower off by clouds and
mountains?
On the little island the wailing of chilly, wild geese could be faintly
heard.
The hero who has misplaced his means can speak meaninglessly of the sword.
The poet on the finish of the street can solely ascend a tower.
One ought to know that when the nation is weak, the individuals’s spirit
dies.
Why else will we come to this place to be imprisoned?
The dragon out of water is humiliated by ants;
The fierce tiger who’s caged is baited by a toddler.
So long as I’m imprisoned, how can I dare attempt for supremacy?
An advantageous place for revenge will certainly come sooner or later.
To any extent further, I’m departing removed from this constructing.
All of my fellow villagers are rejoicing with me.
Don’t say that the whole lot inside us is Western styled,
Even whether it is constructed of jade, it has changed into a cage.
I meant to return to America to earn a residing.
The Western styled buildings are lofty; however I’ve not the luck to dwell in them.
How was anybody to know that my dwelling place could be a jail?
