[Federal Register Volume 75, Number 16 (Tuesday, January 26, 2010)]
[Presidential Documents]
[Pages 3981-3982]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2010-1618]


 
 
                         Presidential Documents 
 
 

  Federal Register / Vol. 75, No. 16 / Tuesday, January 26, 2010 / 
Presidential Documents  

 ___________________________________________________________________

 Title 3--
 The President

[[Page 3981]]

                Proclamation 8475 of January 20, 2010

                
National Angel Island Day, 2010

                By the President of the United States of America

                A Proclamation

                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 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.

[[Page 3982]]

                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.
                
                
                    (Presidential Sig.)

[FR Doc. 2010-1618
Filed 1-25-10; 8:45 am]
Billing code 3195-W0-P