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This interview of Huaying Chen, a Chinese immigrant to the United States, details Huaying's early life in China following the Cultural Revolution. Huaying discusses Chinese politics, education, and the 1989 student movement and Tiananmen Massacre. She also discusses the culture shock she experienced when moving to the United States.
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.
This interview between Erin Durham and Murali (pseudonym) explores Murali's experiences as an immigrant to the United States from Sri Lanka. This oral history documents the experiences of Murali (pseudonym), a Sri Lankan Tamil, who sought asylum in the United States in 2001. Murali recounts his experiences of growing up in Colombo, Sri Lanka, during the civil war, and experiencing bomb threats on a weekly basis. He discusses his experience traveling to Miami and applying for asylum. Murali describes the discrimination and challenges he faced after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, and the six-year legal process of gaining permanent residency in the United States. Murali discusses the Sri Lankan conflict, Tamil and Sinhalese identities, the role of religion in his life, his thoughts about receiving American citizenship, and his experience volunteering in Sri Lanka in 2011. Murali’s interview touches on themes of ethnic identity, and the intrinsic worth of every individual. He emphasizes the importance of not labeling or isolating refugees, but giving them the respect deserved by every human being.
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.
