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photo by Donald Kinney
Come along with me, folks and I'll show you one of my favorite spots. You probably recognize the city. Locals birds like me just call it The City...
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photo by Donald Kinney
All three of these snaps were taken from the same perch. A vantage point called Point Cavallo. The Golden Gate Bridge isn't far away. Fort Baker is even closer.
click photo for full-size image
photo by Donald Kinney
Oh, I'll save the view of the Golden Gate Bridge from this spot for another day--I've got a good new one. Swinging the camera in the opposite direction is Angel Island; sometimes called the Island of Tears. Just like Ellis Island on the East Coast, Angel Island was an immigration station. A vast influx of Chinese stopped here first in the mid to late 1800's. Not everyone was allowed to enter the United States. A rigorous health and mental test was administered to determine if the immigrant would be allowed entry. Those who passed the tests ended up working more of less like slaves; building our railroads, levies, roads, and doing the hard and dirty work in the goldmines of the Sierra foothills. They also fished, farmed, sewed, and laundered a whole lot of our dirty clothes.
Discrimination was rampant; and backed by the law. A Chinese person was only allowed to work in certain, often undesirable occupations. The Chinese received low pay, couldn't vote and were second-class residents. With all due respect, we should all remember THAT, please; the next time we feel so damn proud of the history of our beloved United States of America.
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