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About these Stories

Since 2017, Southern Mix has been conducting oral history interviews with Asians and Asian Americans throughout the American South. This collection of distinctive and powerful interviews engages in meaningful conversations about race, identity, migration, and the pursuit of belonging in the multifaceted landscape of the South. Browse through to listen and read some of these stories.

Access the entire library of Southern Mix Oral Histories at the Southern Oral History Program Database.

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Chavi Khanna Koneru

Chavi Khanna Koneru is co-founder and Executive Director of North Carolina Asian Americans Together (NCAAT). Koneru was born in 1983 in Oakland, California and moved with her family to Durham, NC in 1989. She describes the culture shock she experienced … Read more

Asian American, Hindu Punjabi, Indian American, Sikh, South Asian, Telugu, India

Jhana Parikh

“I mean, I was born in Raleigh, North Carolina. I have never lived anywhere else. So, yeah, I’m pretty comfortable calling myself a Southerner.” Jhana and her father, Snehal. / Photo courtesy of Jhana Parikh. Indian immigration to North Carolina, … Read more

Asian American, Indian, Indian American, South Asian, India
Dr. Moni Sawhney is sitting down and smiling into the camera. Behind him are a dining room and a kitchen.

Moni Sawhney

“I live in the South, but my identity is not Southern.” Dr. Moni Sawhney poses for a portrait at his home in Raleigh, N.C. / Photo by Maydha Devarajan. For nearly 30 years, Moni Sawhney was a white man — … Read more

Indian, Indian American, South Asian, India

Pirya Matai

“I’m a Southern brown girl.” If you asked Pirya Matai for a list of terms to describe herself, “Southern girl” would be pretty high on the list. Scratch that — “a brown Southern girl,” to be specific.

Hindu, India, Iran, Pakistan

Swati Rayasam

When I think about people in my personal life who have deep connections to North Carolina, one of the first people to come to mind is Swati Rayasam. Rayasam is almost 10 years older than me, but was a constant … Read more

Asian American, Indian, South Asian, India

Vinal Lakhani

“I don’t think I would say I’m a Southerner…But I would say I’m a North Carolinian and I would say I am from Charlotte and I’m from the South.” For most of Vinal Lakhani’s childhood, a typical Saturday might include … Read more

, India