Roots: Celebrations of API Heritage
By Patricia Abe

Behind the splendid beauty of the Presidio and Angel Island lies a history that many have forgotten. This area has been a place of both opportunity and infamy for Asian Americans, a place where the future beckoned and abruptly halted.

As the headquarters of the Western Defense Command during World War II, the Presidio of San Francisco has the notoriety of being the site from which Executive Order 9066 was issued and implemented, on February 19, 1942. E.O. 9066 called for the removal and incarceration of all residents of Japanese ancestry on the West Coast; its stated purpose was to protect the nation from espionage and sabotage. But the internment of 120,000 Japanese Americans, over two-thirds of whom were American citizens, included children, the bedridden, the elderly and infirm —individuals who clearly were not spy material, but who looked like the enemy.

At the same time, the Presidio’s Hangar 640 was the site of the Military Intelligence Service’s first secret language school, the precursor to today’s Defense Language Institute of Monterey. The M.I.S. unit recruited Japanese American servicemen to aid in the intelligence effort in the war against Japan. The M.I.S. has been credited with shortening the war by as much as two years. Ironically, many American soldiers, including those in the M.I.S., served their country while their families were imprisoned in detention camps.

Across the Bay from the Presidio stands the Angel Island Immigration Station, gateway to more than a million Chinese and Japanese immigrants in the early 20th century. The immigrants came as laborers, merchants and picture brides. It is estimated that approximately 75 percent of the Chinese Americans and Japanese Americans in California have roots on Angel Island. But Angel Island also became synonymous with discrimination, disease and detention, a symbol of the U.S. government’s anti-Asian policies. Now designated a national historic landmark, the Angel Island Immigration Station preserves a vital chapter of Asian American history.

On Saturday, May 13, from 1- 4 p.m., the National Japanese American Historical Society (NJAHS), the Golden Gate National Parks Association (GGNPA), the Presidio Trust and the National Park Service, invite all Asian Americans and their families to return to a site significant to their past, and to participate in an event of renewal and healing.

“Discovering Our Roots:” Family Celebrations of our Asian Pacific Heritage will offer an afternoon of pan-Asian activities, crafts and entertainment, to be held at the Presidio’s Bldg. 640, located at Crissy Field West on Mason Street. Admission is free.

The event will start off with a thundering performance by the San Francisco Taiko Dojo Children’s Ensemble. Immediately following will be a purification rite performed by the Nynmaba monks of Tibet, who will offer a cleansing of the soul and the site. Ronald Takaki, Professor of Ethnic Studies at the University of California at Berkeley and author of Strangers from a Different Shore: A History of Asian Americans, will give a keynote talk on immigration. The opening festivities will conclude with a performance by the Pearl Ubungen Dancers and Musicians, who explore social issues through postmodern dance and theatre.

Family Day will also include performances by the San Francisco Wushu Troupe, demonstrating Tai Chi, and the Y.C. Wong Kung Fu group, which will conduct a Chinese Lion dance. Children and adults will also have the opportunity to make Asian kites with Alan Ohashi; fold paper origami cranes with Geri Handa for an upcoming peace pilgrimage; create a personal design for a Pacific American Heritage park with Kaz Abey and Asa Hanamoto; learn about researching family history, with representatives from the National Archives and Records Administration, Chinese Historical Society and Angel Island Immigration Station Foundation; and participate in walking tours of the Presidio, conducted by former internees, M.I.S. servicemen and National Park Service rangers.

While the activities planned for Family Day promise to be entertaining and fun, they also serve to remind us of our collective Asian American history. For instance, the origami crane has become a symbol of life and peace. The cranes folded on May 13 will be presented to the Friends of Hibakusha (Atom Bomb survivors) for a peace pilgrimage to New Mexico. The Genealogy Workshop offers a way for families to connect with a past that was often kept hidden and secret, and thus nearly lost. Kite flying, in many Asian countries, is a way to give wing to one’s hopes and dreams. Both taiko drumming and the Chinese Lion dance are entreaties for good fortune.

Asian Americans need to participate in the ongoing dialogue concerning the restoration of the Presidio and Angel Island. Through events such as “Discovering Our Roots” we can make our voices heard while learning about our past — and still have an enjoyable afternoon in a place of incredible beauty.

For further information on “Discovering Our Roots,” please call NJAHS at (415) 921-5007 or visit the website at http://www.njahs.org