Angel Island in San Francisco Bay is a crucial spot marking the history of exclusionary, race-based immigration policy. Its immigration station has sometimes been called “the Ellis Island of the West.”  But Angel Island was an ambivalent gateway, a place of incarceration and exclusion for migrants as well as an entry for half a million newcomers from 80 countries, mostly from Asia. Despite its significance, this important historical site was almost lost. Ed Tepporn will discuss how activists saved this site, current day efforts, and its meaning for the future.

Ed Tepporn has served as Executive Director of the Angel Island Immigration Station since 2019. He previously held leadership positions at the Asian & Pacific Islander American Health Forum (APIAHF), at Saint Louis Effort for AIDS and at Missouri’s Statewide HIV/STD Prevention Community Planning Group. His award-winning work has often focused on strengthening storytelling as a tool for community transformation.