Wednesday, January 20, 2010

PRESIDENT OBAMA ON NATIONAL ANGEL ISLAND DAY 2010

WASHINGTON DC...........According to the office of the press secretary of the White House,the president of the United states of America ,Barrack Obama has proclaimed January 21 2010 as National Angel Island Day,with a call on Americans to   learn more about the history of Angel Island and observe the anniversary with appropriate ceremonies.below is the full text



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
more


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.
BARACK OBAMA

Filed by:Ekow Mensah-Shalders
GLOBALVILLAGE NEWS NETWORK.











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