African and African Diaspora Immigrant Oral Histories

Title: African and African Diaspora Immigrant Oral Histories
Subject
Description: This collection contains oral histories of migrants from Africa and the African Diaspora (drawn largely from the Caribbean, Central America, and South America). In April 2020, the Center for Global Migration Studies, in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture, will hold a symposium entitled “Making African America: Immigration and the Changing Dynamics of Blackness.” The stories in this collection demonstrate some of the key themes of the symposium: transnational ties to homeland countries; the intersectional experience of being an immigrant and black in the United States; and migrants’ influences on U.S. culture, politics, and society.
Publisher: Center for Global Migration Studies
Format: PDF, JPG, MP3, M4A

Collection Items

Item Oral History accent Barbuda ...23 more

Interview of Keith Yearwood

This interview between Dr. Keith Yearwood and Zachary Wathen explores Keith's experiences migrating from Guyana to England, Antigua, and ultimately the United States. Keith shares his observations about politics, the benefits of travel, and his appreciation for his US citizenship.

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 428M (Spring 2019). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History accent Africa ...25 more

Interview of Lambert Aryee

This interview between Lambert Aryee and Sebastian Luna explores Lambert's experiences migrating from Ghana to the United States as a child. Lambert discusses the cultural differences, efforts to assimilate, and his blended family structure.

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 428M (Spring 2019). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History brain drain British Guiana ...29 more

Interview of Bebe Lila Spooner Melville

This interview between Bebe Lila Spooner Melville and Hannah Fields explores Melville's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from Guyana. As a teacher and government employee, Lila witnessed the racial and political conflict that enveloped her country and eventually forced her to leave as part of a mass exodus in the early 1980s.

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST 428M (Spring 2019). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the Department of History, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History Africa Colonization ...7 more

Interview of Sarah Gabremicael

This interview between Dominique Simmons and Sarah Gabremicael explores Gabremicael's experience as an immigrant to the United States from Eritrea.

***This interview is restricted to the University of Maryland College Park's campus. For more information, contact the Center for Global Migration Studies (globalmigration@umd.edu).***

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course IMMR400 (Spring 2016). This course was led by Professor Thomas Castillo of the History Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies (formerly the Center for the History of the New America).
Item Oral History education family ...4 more

Interview of Job Johnson

This interview between Sarah Eppley and Job Johnson explores Johnson's experience as an immigrant to the United States from Haiti.

***This interview is restricted to the University of Maryland College Park's campus. For more information, contact the Center for Global Migration Studies (globalmigration@umd.edu).***

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course IMMR400 (Spring 2016). This course was led by Professor Thomas Castillo of the History Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies (formerly the Center for the History of the New America).
Item Oral History accent Africa ...21 more

Interview of Matthias Bannister
Item Oral History Africa Cameroon ...29 more

Interview of Emmanuel Bonabe
Item Oral History Africa childhood ...11 more

Interview of James Kiwuwa

This interview of James Kiwuwa, a Ugandan immigrant to the United States, explores his childhood in Uganda prior to leaving for the United States. James discusses the importance of music to his life and his family, his impressions of the United States, acclimating to the climate in the U.S., and cultural differences between the U.S.

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course THET489V (Spring 2018). This course was led by Professor Esther Lee of the Theater Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History Africa Cameroon ...22 more

Interview of Adelin Franck Nguimfack

This interview of Adelin Franck Nguimfack, a Cameroon immigrant to the United States, explores his childhood in Cameroon and his immigration to the U.S. as a teenager. Adelin discusses differences in culture between the U.S. and Cameroon, the legacies of colonialism in Cameroon, religion, education, and cultural traditions. [Please note there is no audio file with this interview, only a PDF transcript.]

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course THET489V (Spring 2018). This course was led by Professor Esther Lee of the Theater Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.
Item Oral History Africa child rearing ...18 more

Interview of Mariam Hurreh

This interview of Mariam Hurreh, Somali immigrant to the United States who currently lives in Maryland and is a mother of five, focuses on various aspects of Mariam’s life and her experiences as in immigrant to the DC area. Initially it will focus on her childhood in Somalia, then it will shift towards her teenage years in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, and finally her life in the United States. She discusses the various jobs she held as an immigrant throughout her journey and various other challenges she faced both in Jeddah and the United States and ultimately reflects on her experiences as an immigrant.

This interview was conducted as part of an undergraduate final project for the University of Maryland, College Park course HIST428M: "Oral History of Immigration" (Spring 2017). This course was led by Professor Anne Rush of the History Department, College of Arts and Humanities, and was sponsored by the Center for Global Migration Studies.