National Angel Island Day with The Last Hoisan Poets

de Young Museum, San Francisco

Join The Last Hoisan Poets, Genny Lim, Flo Oy Wong and Nellie Wong, three descendants of Angel Island immigrants, to commemorate the 113th anniversary of the Angel Island Immigration Station’s opening on National Angel Island Day. This poetry program will also feature musical performances by the Del Sol Quartet.

In 2010, President Barack Obama proclaimed January 21 as National Angel Island Day, calling upon the people of the United States to “learn more about the history of Angel Island and to observe this anniversary with appropriate ceremonies and activities.” This special program will include poetry readings that incorporate Hoisan-wa, the predominant dialect spoken by the first wave of immigrants who traveled to America from China in the late 19th century and early 20th century. Guest performances and art-making activities inspired by Angel Island’s historic immigration station, will further illustrate the site’s continuing importance to understanding current events and envisioning better futures. 

Presented through a  partnership among The Last Hoisan Poets, the de Young Museum and UC Berkeley’s A Year on Angel Island.

You can also see The Last Hoisan Poets at UC Berkeley on Feb. 21 reading poems left by detainees on the walls of Angel Island.