August - September 2007Alien Rites - From Angel Island to Oakland Chinatown
Images from Willam Wong's photo history booksReproduced photographs from the turn of the 19th Century up to post-WW II remind us just how old Oakland’s Chinese population is—as old as Oakland itself. Angel Island, sitting in the middle of San Francisco Bay, served as a way station for mostly Asian immigrants, who were scrutinized processed, and detained (some for years) before being allowed to settle on the mainland. Drawing from two recently published photo-history books edited by journalist William Wong, "ALIEN RITES From Angel Island to Oakland Chinatown" is more than a nostalgic reflection of local history. The exhibition text points out that this archival narrative contains a particular relevance today, given the current political debates about immigration, questionable legislative proposals, and xenophobic alarms about foreigners overwhelming the native labor market. While most of the current media attention has focused on the status of expanding Latino immigration, an examination of seminal immigration laws and restrictions aimed at early Asian immigrants (such as the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act) are hauntingly reflected in the language and lobbying of contemporary policy makers
