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26. Interview with Xeng S. Yang

Creator:
Yang, Xeng Sue
Date Created:
1991-11-13
Description:
Xeng Sue Yang is a Hmong man, 44 years old. He was a soldier for the CIA (1960-1975) and farmer in Laos. Since arriving in the United States in 1979, he has lived in Minneapolis. Presently he is a story teller and a musician. He is married to Khou Xiong Yang. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Xeng Sue Yang talks of his life as a CIA soldier in the Vietnam War and his feelings of patriotism. Tales of adjustment to life in the United States are related as well as observations regarding the differences in the legal systems of the two countries. Xeng Sue Yang concludes the interview with a statement of hope to keep his culture alive. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Interview translated by May Herr.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

27. Interview with Yang C. Ying

Creator:
Ying, Yang Cha
Date Created:
1991-11-20
Description:
Yang Cha Ying immigrated to the United States on October 7, 1980. Prior to his immigration he was an assistant to the mayor of Por Far, Laos. Yang Cha Ying also served as a soldier from 1950-1953. Currently, he is retired, though he acts as an advisor for the police when making domestic calls. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Yang Cha Ying describes his life in Laos, particularly the time he spent fighting in the wars, in detail. He talks about his adjustment to life in the United States and his role as an advisor for the police in domestic situations, explaining cultural differences. Yang Cha Ying hopes that the youth of his culture will learn to respect the elderly. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Interview translated by May Herr.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

28. Interview with Toua Yang

Creator:
Yang, Toua
Date Created:
2012-09-29
Description:
Toua Yang was born in Xhiangkhouang, Laos. He escaped to a refugee camp in Thailand, where he spent ten years before coming to the U.S. At the time of the interview Yang was a mental health case manager for Lyon, Redwood Falls, Yellow Medicine, and Murray counties. Subjects discussed include: Escaping Laos - experiences in refugee camp - adjusting to life in America - family - health issues in the Hmong community - Minnesota's education system and the achievement gap.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

29. Interview with Terry Yang

Creator:
Yang, Terry
Date Created:
2012-09-16
Description:
Terry Yang was born in 1956 in Luang Prabang, Laos. He and his family escaped to a refugee camp in Thailand in 1979, where they lived for one year before moving to the United States in 1980. At the time of the interview Yang was the President of the Yang Wang Meng Association of United States, a national organization dedicated to connecting the Hmong community, building Hmong leaders, and preserving Hmong culture. He was also on the board for the Walnut Grove PTA. Subjects discussed include: Escaping Laos - experiences in refugee camp - adjusting to life in America - family - Hmong cultural preservation and community-building.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

30. Interview with Gilbert de la O

Creator:
de la O, Gilbert; United States
Date Created:
2010-03-39
Description:
Gilbert de la O was born in New Ulm, Minnesota. His family moved from Texas to Minnesota in search of work. He started working at the Neighborhood House, a community center, as a teen and continued for over fifty years. De la O is married with two children. He also served as the first Chicano ever on the St. Paul School Board. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background, community involvement - childhood growing up at the Neighborhood House child care center - revolution of 1910 - financial struggles - Our Lady of Guadalupe church - Jewish community - Latino community - lack of diversity - Black Bridge - racism in the classroom - the Chicano Movement with the Brown Berets - Chicano Studies at the University of Minnesota - serving in the Vietnam War - military order in his life - changing views towards being against wars - impact of sports - unemployment - growing diversity in Saint Paul - uniting the Latino community - education - and the West Side Boosters.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

31. Interview with Tenzin Dolsel

Creator:
Dolsel, Tenzin
Date Created:
2005-09-02
Description:
Tenzin Dolsel was born in Bylakuppee, India. She moved to Minnesota in 1997. Dolsel is a graduate of Edison High School and is an undergraduate student at the University of Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, moving to Minnesota, expectations of Minnesota, growing up in a Tibetan settlement, similarities and differences between India and the United States, English, school experiences in India and the U.S., Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), making friends, moving to a big city, college experiences, nursing, Middle-Way, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), autonomy, Tibetan political issues, Buddhism, non-violence, preserving culture, China, His Holiness the Dalai Lama.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

32. Interview with Carlos Mariani Rosa

Creator:
Mariani Rosa, Carlos
Date Created:
2010-07-26
Description:
Carlos Mariani Rosa was born in Michigan and grew up in Chicago. Rosa moved to Minnesota to attend Macalester College and soon married. He worked at the Minnesota Council of Churches and is now the executive director of the Minnesota Minority Education Partnership. He is currently a member of the Minnesota House of Representatives since 1990 and chair of the House K-12 Education Policy Committee. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Family background - jobs held - racial tension in Chicago - diversity - importance of education - networking - factory work - scholarship for college - Minnesota weather - racial differences from Chicago and Minnesota - traveling - community outreach - racism - farmer issues - social issues - church - Hispanic Directors Association - National Institutes for Health - Chicanos Latinos Unidos En Servicio - politics - funding - Latino community - Cinco de Mayo - Lake Street - non-profit organizations - and community involvement.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

33. Interview with Bless Say

Creator:
Say, Bless
Date Created:
2011-05-11
Description:
Bless Say was born in Burma, August 8, 1950. She came to the United States in 2008. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life - family - school in Burma - dangers of being Karen in Burma - farming - Karen communities in Burma - fleeing to Thailand - refugee camps - moving to Minnesota - citizenship - working in Minnesota - learning English.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

34. Interview with Kilamphong Kounlavong

Creator:
Kounlavong, Kilamphong
Date Created:
2012-11-02
Description:
Kilamphong Kounlavong was born in Savanhnakhet, Laos. Subjects discussed include: Escaping Laos in 1975 - living in a Thai refugee camp - coming to Warroad, Minnesota from Thai refugee camps - Lao community in Warroad, Minnesota - going back to visit family in Laos. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: The interview is conducted in Laotian but the transcript has been translated into English.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

35. Interview with Jose Cung

Creator:
Cung, Jose
Date Created:
1980-11-14 - 1981-02-13
Description:
Jose Cung was born August 24, 1940, in Saigon, South Vietnam. Her father was a businessman from North Vietnam. She grew up in Saigon and in 1958 enrolled at the University of Saigon. After one year she transferred to the University of Sydney in Australia, where she received a bachelor's degree in political science in 1963. In 1964 she married Tien Cung, a popular singer and composer as well as an agricultural economist trained in England. Their son Raphael was born in 1967. Before the fall of the South Vietnamese government, JosTe Cung was employed first by the Ministry of Social Affairs and later the Commission for Tourism. She also served as local coordinator for a research project of the Rand Corporation under contract by the United States Department of Defense. With the collapse of the government in April of 1975, the family fled Saigon on one of many barges used to take evacuees out to sea. The family was picked up by ships of the United States Seventh Fleet and taken to Subic Bay in the Philippines, and later to Guam. They spent about four weeks in a refugee camp at Fort Chafee, Arkansas, before they were released to a sponsor in Washington, D.C. Shortly after that, Tien Cung was offered employment by a foreign aid agency of the U.S. Department of State, and the family spent a year in Canberra, Australia. When the job was finished, the Cungs returned to the United States and settled temporarily in Dallas, Texas, where Tien's parents and sister, also refugees from Vietnam, had relocated. In 1977 the family moved to Minnesota, where Tien was offered a job with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. After arrival JosTe obtained employment in the city of St. Paul's Division of Manpower Services from 1977 to 1978 and again from 1980 to 1981. From 1978 to 1980 she also worked for the United Way. Cung was an early organizer and officer of the Vietnamese Cultural Association of Minnesota, which as early as 1977 sponsored a week-long conference, To Save and Maintain Our Culture
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

36. Interview with John Choi

Creator:
Choi, John
Date Created:
2011-01-17
Description:
John Choi was born in Seoul, South Korea but immigrated to St. Paul, Minnesota with his parents at the age of 3. He received his bachelor's degree from Marquette University and his law degree from Hamline University. John was the Saint Paul City Attorney from 2006-2010, and is currently the Ramsey County Attorney. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life - family - the importance of education to Korean immigrant families - embracing American culture as a child - college - practicing law - becoming socially and politically active - becoming St. Paul Attorney and his achievements at the job - getting more Koreans active in society and politics - campaign for Ramsey County Attorney - similarities between all immigrants to the United States.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

37. Interview with Hedy Tripp

Creator:
Tripp, Hedy
Date Created:
2012-02-17
Description:
Hedy Tripp was born in 1948 in Singapore. Subjects discussed include: Early life in Singapore - family history - going to school in Singapore - getting married and divorced - coming to the United States - getting remarried in the United States - moving to Saint Cloud, Minnesota - worries about racism in Saint Cloud - teaching - comparing the educational systems in the United States and Singapore - working for groups such as the National Asian Pacific American Women's Forum - having breast cancer - calling Minnesota home.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

38. Interview with Val Vargas

Creator:
Vargas, Val
Date Created:
2011-2-14
Description:
Val Vargas was born in Minneapolis. Vargas grew up in Brooklyn Center, Minnesota and later in New Brighton. She attended Oklahoma City University and studied accounting. She worked at Metropolitan Economic Development Association as a business consultant and owns the Vargas Company. Vargas is the founder and current president of the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce of Minnesota. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Jobs held - family background - Catholic religion - lack of Latino community in Minnesota - Latino culture and foods - Lake Street - being bilingual in Spanish and English - financial struggles growing up - childhood - Chicanos Latinos Unidos En Servicio - Choices - lack of services for Latino community - growing Latino population - emphasis on Spanish language - layoffs - budget cuts - and politics.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

39. Interview with Chanmany Sysengchanh

Creator:
Sysengchanh, Chanmany
Date Created:
2012-01-29
Description:
Chanmany Sysengchanh was born in 1983 in a refugee camp in Napo, Thailand. His parents were refugees from Laos. At the time of the interview he was working for Saint Cloud University as part of a pre-college program for minorities. Subjects discussed include: Early life and family - coming to Minnesota as an infant - his parents silence about their struggles in Laos and Thailand - living in a large Lao community in south Minneapolis from an early age - going to school, and not speaking English - excelling at school - struggling to identify as Lao or American - working for Saint Cloud State University and the importance of higher education - helping kids get into college - being a positive Asian role model in the school environment - his writing and poetry - being the first in his family to graduate high school - how tempting it was to sell drugs or steal - thinking college was out of his reach - Asians clubs and support groups - his influence on a younger generation of Lao kids - his hope for more Lao civil engagement in the community - being happy that he ended up in Minnesota.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

40. Interview with Eh Thweet

Creator:
Thweet, Eh
Date Created:
2011-05-11
Description:
Eh Thweet was born in Burma in 1986. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life - Burmese military burning his village - struggle to pay for school - running from the Burmese army - finding food - landmines - fleeing to Thailand - living in a refugee camp in Thailand - religion - religious persecution - taking children from Burma to Thailand - coming to the United States - working for Catholic Charities - hopes of further education in Minnesota - Karen folktales.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

41. Interview with Kim Sin

Creator:
Sin, Kim
Date Created:
2012-02-18
Description:
Kim Sin was born in TakTo, Cambodia in 1977. He started the Cambodian Association of Rochester, Minnesota. Subjects discussed include: Early life in Cambodia and family - living in Cambodia during the Khmer Rouge War - living in a refugee camp - coming to Minnesota - adjusting to living in Minnesota as a child - being behind in school - starting the Cambodian Association of Rochester, Minnesota (CARM) - involvement in the community and assimilating - never quite being treated as an American - accepting his own identity - future generations of children coming to Minnesota - starting a non-profit organization - helping out all people, not just certain groups - judging people fairly.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

42. Interview with Phiengtavanh Savatdy

Creator:
Savatdy, Phiengtavanh
Date Created:
2012-01-14
Description:
Phiengtavanh Savatdy was born in 1981 in Vientiane, Laos. She enlisted in the Army National Guard, and attended St. Cloud College. Subjects discussed include: Early life in Laos - nicknames given to her as a child - coming to the United States - coming to Minnesota and going to public schools in Minneapolis - being different and wanting to fit in - educational achievements - becoming a citizen and enlisting in the National Guard - coming home from Iraq and going to college - being active in extracurricular groups in college - not being active in the local Lao community - personal, and career goals and goals for the Lao community.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

43. Interview with Robert Zan

Creator:
Zan, Robert
Date Created:
2011-05-11
Description:
Robert Zan is the son of Mahn Ba Zan who was a prominent leader in the Karen struggle for independence. In turn Robert Zan was a leader in Karen struggles for independence. He is the author of a concise history "Mahn Ba Zan & The Karen Revolution", published in 1993. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early memories of Burmese atrocities against the Karen - family - his father Mahn Ba Zan founder of Karen National Defense Organization and leader of the Karen resistance - becoming a solider - fighting
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

44. Interview with Tenzin Tsering

Creator:
Tsering, Tenzin
Date Created:
2005-08-26
Description:
Tenzin Tsering was born in Dharamsala, India. He attended school in Mussoorie, India before moving to Minnesota in 1998 to attend DeLaSalle High School. He is pursuing his undergraduate degree at Hamline University. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, wanting to come to the United States, first impressions of school in Minnesota, differences and similarities between schools in India and the U.S., English, future career, Chinese language, selecting a college, college experiences, Students for a Free Tibet (SFT), activism, including youth and college, Hamline University, attending college with other Tibetan students, starting a political organization, community, preserving culture, Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota (TAFM), citizenship, challenges of being an international student, race, Tibetan Youth Congress (TYC), Westerners and the Tibetan cause, China, roots, identity, Middle-Way, differences and similarities between Tibetan and American culture, Tibetan politics, religion.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

45. Interview with Jigme Ugen

Creator:
Ugen, Jigme
Date Created:
2005-08-31
Description:
Jigme Ugen was born in Kalimpong, India. He moved to Minnesota in 2000. Ugen has worked with many political organizations including the 2002 senate campaign for Paul Wellstone. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Parents, family, Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Cultural Institute (ITBCI), Australia, identity conflicts, similarities and differences between Tibetan, Indian, and American culture, politics, Senator Paul Wellstone, immigration difficulties, assimilation, workers rights, unions, parenting, preserving culture, challenges, Tibetan Cultural Center, community, stereotypes, Tibetan politics, future of community, Regional Tibetan Youth Congress (RTYC), Service Employees International Union (SEIU), Tibetan language, joint family living.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

46. Interview with Noi Sinkasem

Creator:
Sinkasem, Noi
Date Created:
2012-02-17
Description:
Noi Sinkasem was born in Bangkok, Thailand on September 20, 1961. At the time of the interview she owned a Sawatdee Thai restaurant in Saint Cloud, Minnesota. Subjects discussed include: Early life and family in Thailand - education - coming to the United States - applying to immigrate and waiting - going back to school in Minnesota - moving to Saint Cloud, Minnesota - owning Sawatdee Thai food restaurant in Saint Cloud - difficult owning a business and being a minority - her children.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

47. Interview with Ahmay Ya

Creator:
Ya, Ahmay
Date Created:
2011-05-11
Description:
Ahmay Ya was born in 1987 in Sanchaung in Rangoon, Burma. She graduated from the University in Burma in 2003-2004. She immigrated to the United States in 2008 as a Karen refugee. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Early life - her father the revolutionary Mahn Nyein Maung - family and how the Karen people name their children - her childhood in Rangoon - her mother working as a trader while her father was in prison - being questioned by the authorities - escaping from Burma - volunteering to help deliver babies, and helping other refugees - coming to the United States alone - getting an education and working in Minnesota - her father's book Against the Storm: Across the Sea" and her father's imprisonment and release - hopes for herself and the Karen - working with the Karen in Minnesota and mental health issues - "
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

48. Interview with Mary Kim Bilek

Creator:
Bilek, Mary Kim
Date Created:
1979-03-02
Description:
Mary Kim Bilek was born June 13, 1938, in Seoul, Korea. Her mother was a teacher, and her father worked for a newspaper. During the Korean War (1950-1953) the family had to leave Seoul and with tens of thousands of other Korean civilians fled to the island of Cheju, a small island off the southern tip of Korea. During the years they were refugees on Cheju, Mary's mother and grandmother both died. In 1954 the family returned to Seoul, and at age fifteen Mary attended school regularly for the first time. Although her education had been disrupted, her two older brothers had also fallen behind, and all three children graduated from high school in the same year. As the only girl, Mary assumed she would not be sent to college and decided to try to go the United States to continue her education. Before the Korean War she had corresponded with a pen pal in North Carolina with the help of an American missionary in Korea. After the war she wrote to the pen pal again, and the American's family was able to arrange a scholarship for her at a small liberal arts college in North Carolina. She graduated with a major in physics and then entered the University of Minnesota for graduate study in mathematics. She completed her graduate work in 1963 and married a college friend, Larry Bilek, a Minnesotan, the same year. She worked as supervisor of statistics for medical services at the University of Minnesota Medical School until her first child was born in 1968. She then became part-time senior research analyst for the Minnesota Department of Health and was also employed in research in the medical school's department of neurology until her second child was born. In 1975 she was employed by the university's College of Liberal Arts as head of data services, and since then has become the college's budget and planning officer. SUBJECTS DISCUSSED: Mary Bilek discusses her family background in Korea - experiences during the Korean War - her first impressions of the United States - college life - concern for her children growing up in an affluent society - marriage to an American - and differences in childrearing practices in Korean and American cultures. COMMENTS ON INTERVIEW: Mary Bilek represents Koreans who have become well-acculturated to American society, and is apparently equally comfortable with Americans and Koreans. Nevertheless she is committed to teaching her children certain Korean values that she considers important.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

49. Interview with Ashok Mahendra Patel

Creator:
Patel, Ashok Mahendra
Date Created:
2012-02-02
Description:
Ashok Mahendra Patel was born in 1962 Kampala, Uganda. His parents were immigrants from Indore, India. Subjects discussed include: Early life and family - living in Uganda, India, and Canada - home life, doing chores, and being a kid - education, medical school, and coming to work for the Mayo Clinic - being involved in the community - calling Minnesota his home.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories

50. Interview with Dr. Bingkun K. Chen

Creator:
Chen, Dr. Bingkun K.
Date Created:
2012-02-03
Description:
Bingkun Chen was born December 4, 1961 in Hegang in Heilongjiang province China. He earned a PhD in pathology from Kochi University in Japan and an MBA from the University of Minnesota. At the time of the interview he was working at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Subjects discussed include: Early life in China - religion - early education and medical school in China and then Germany and Japan - coming to the Minnesota to work for the Mayo Clinic - working for the Mayo Clinic - family in Minnesota - going back to China - living in Rochester, Minnesota - the Chinese community in Rochester - being grateful - diversity.
Contributing Institution:
Minnesota Historical Society
Type:
Sound Recording Nonmusical
Format:
Oral histories
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