Sept. 25 - As I write this, some 350 people - most members of the Bay Area's Chinese-American community - are undertaking an emotional voyage to Angel Island. Many of the folks participating had ancestors who were detained at the island's immigration station in the early 20th century, but had never before visited the site. As NBC Bay Area reports [via BCN]:

   ...along with honoring the history of the island, Saturday's trip symbolizes how many of the issues immigrants faced at Angel Island, such as poor conditions at detention centers and families being torn apart by deportations, "are still happening today 100 years later."

That's Rev. Deborah Lee quoted, of the Oakland-based Interfaith Coalition for Immigrant Rights. Oakland had a big hand in today's event: the Interfaith Coalition help to organize the trip and members of Oakland's Chinese Community United Methodist Church also joined the voyage.

While hundreds of participants waited to board the ferry this morning, they heard from both 89-year old Dale Ching, who was once detained at Angel Island, and 18-year Yvette Jimenez, whose own family was broken up just two years ago by an ICE raid. Along with Rev. Norman Fong and Rev. Lee, SF Supervisor Eric Mar also addressed the crowd. Mar shared that his own grandfather "saw Angel Island through the eyes of a prisoner" along with his infant father.

On the island, participants set up a memorial for detained immigrants, past and present. They left rocks inscribed with the names of ancestors at Angel Island and names of current immigrants facing family separation. Rev. Fong, of SF Chinatown's Presbyterian Church, explained:

      “I’m going on this pilgrimage to place a stone for my father who was detained at Angel Island. It's time to honor those who suffered here by listening to their stories. ... Right now, we could honor the past by fixing this system so immigrant families won't be separated and can be treated with dignity."

Many of the community and faith leaders I spoke to today believe that reforming our nation's immigration system isn't just a moral imperative, but would also help create more shared prosperity for all. How? Read more here and here.

Today's ceremony also comes as the Angel Island immigration station's 100th anniversary year wraps up. With that milestone in mind, the Interfaith Coalition also released a new publication today. Congregational Ministry & Advocacy highlights the stories of faith leaders who stood up for the rights of those unjustly detained at Angel Island at the dawn of the last century. Shortly before boarding the ferry, Rev. Lee reflected on that legacy: "They helped make a difference in people's lives, and we hope that we will do the same in the years ahead."