National Angel Island Day, 2010

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Title 3--
The President

Proclamation 8475 of January 20, 2010

National Angel Island Day, 2010

By the President of the United States of America

A Proclamation

One hundred years ago, the Angel Island Immigration
Station in San Francisco Bay opened for the first time,
and an important chapter of the American narrative
began. It would be written by those who walked through
the station's doors over the next three decades. From
the cities, villages, and farms of their birth, they
journeyed across the Pacific, seeking better lives for
themselves and their children. Many arrived at Angel
Island, weary but hopeful, only to be unjustly confined
for months or, in some cases, years. As we remember
their struggle, we honor all who have been drawn to
America by dreams of limitless opportunity.

Unlike immigrants who marveled at the Statue of Liberty
upon arrival at Ellis Island, those who came to Angel
Island were greeted by an intake facility that was
sometimes called the ``Guardian of the Western Gate.''
Racially prejudiced immigration laws of the time
subjected many to rigorous exams and interrogations, as
well as detention in crowded, unsanitary barracks. Some
expressed themselves by carving poetry and inscriptions
into the walls in their native language--from Chinese,
Japanese, and Korean to Russian, German, and Urdu.
These etchings remain on Angel Island today as poignant
reminders of the immigrant experience and an unjust
time in our history.

If there is any vindication for the Angel Island
immigrants who endured so many hardships, it is the
success achieved by those who were allowed entry, and
the many who, at long last, gained citizenship. They
have contributed immeasurably to our Nation as leaders
in every sector of American life. The children of Angel
Island have seized the opportunities their ancestors
saw from across an ocean. By demonstrating that all
things are possible in America, this vibrant community
has created a beacon of hope for future generations of
immigrants.

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BARACK OBAMA, President of the
United States of America, by virtue of the authority
vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the
United States, do hereby proclaim January 21, 2010, as
National Angel Island Day. I call 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.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, I have hereunto set my hand this
twentieth day of January, in the year of our Lord two
thousand ten, and of the Independence of the United
States of America the two hundred and thirty-fourth.