[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 93 (Tuesday, June 19, 2012)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1082]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          HONORING EDDIE WONG

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. LYNN C. WOOLSEY

                             of california

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 19, 2012

  Ms. WOOLSEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor Eddie Wong, a man who 
has played a significant role in the ongoing restoration and 
development of the Angel Island Immigration Station in Marin County, 
CA. On June 30, 2012, Mr. Wong is retiring after four productive years 
as Executive Director of the Angel Island Immigration Station 
Foundation (AIISF).
  Located off the coast of Tiburon, California, in Angel Island State 
Park, the Immigration Station is the site of the detention of 175,000 
Chinese immigrants from 1910 to 1940. Because of the Chinese Exclusion 
Act, many of them were held for weeks, months or years in a prison-like 
barracks where life was difficult and humiliating.
  The restoration of this Station and related educational projects 
recognize the struggle of these immigrants and our nation's challenge 
to honor our history of immigration. AIISF, with the hard work of its 
many supporters and partners, including the California State Parks and 
the National Park Service, has led these rehabilitation efforts. During 
Mr. Wong's tenure, the Immigration Station Museum opened, the Immigrant 
Heritage Wall was created, and the hospital at the site was stabilized.
  The Angel Island Immigration Station now hosts more than 50,000 
visitors, including 30,000 schoolchildren, every year. I have had the 
privilege of participating in this effort by securing federal funding, 
and I share Eddie Wong's belief that with the partnership we have, we 
can complete the remaining work on this important testament to our rich 
and complex history.
  Mr. Wong came to the Executive Director position with a strong 
background in the cultural social issues at stake. He graduated from 
UCLA with a BA and MFA from School of Fine Arts Motion Picture and 
Television Program. Before joining AIISF, he co-founded Visual 
Communications, the nation's first Asian American film production 
company, served as the Strategy and Investment Principal for Media and 
the Advisor on Social Justice for the Democracy Alliance, and was 
Executive Director of the National Asian American Telecommunications 
Association (now known as the Center for Asian American Media).
  Understanding that the Angel Island Immigration Station site 
resonates personally with many immigrants, Mr. Wong says, ``I think 
that my father, who was deported from Angel Island as a 15-year old and 
came back a year later determined to better his life, would be proud 
that a place of shame has now become a site of conscience ``
  Mr. Speaker, please join me in honoring Eddie Wong and in wishing him 
well in his retirement.

                          ____________________