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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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Anna-Rhesa Versola

Anna-Rhesa Versola begins by discussing her expectations for the Southern Mix project and its personal significance as an Asian American. She was born in Manila, Philippines in 1965 and her father led the family to the United States for his … Read more

Asian American, Filipino, Phillipines

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

Isabel Lu

Isabel Lu (she/they) is a Chinese American artist and public health researcher living in Raleigh, North Carolina. She is currently an emerging artist in residence at Artspace in Raleigh. In this interview, Lu first talks about growing up in Greensboro, … Read more

Asian American, Chinese American,

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

June Lee

June Lee is an Asian American, U.S. Army veteran based in North Carolina. She was interviewed not only because of her experience as a veteran but also because of her positionality as an Asian woman within a predominantly white, male … Read more

Asian American, Korean, South Korea
Ngoc Nguyen is standing in front of a wall and smiling.

Ngoc Nguyen

“I look at them [older generation of folks] and think about what their lives are here in the United States and what their lives were like in Vietnam with the understanding that with each passing generation you lose a little … Read more

Asian American, Southeast Asian, Vietnamese, Vietnam
Saroj Sharma is sitting down and looking into the camera.

Saroj Sharma

“I can [say I’m] Southern. Because always, I stayed here. So I have to be. It’s all learned from here.” Nestled just off Aviation Parkway in Morrisville, N.C., the Hindu Bhavan is more than just a mandir. It’s a dream … Read more

Asian American, Hindu, Indian American, South Asian,
Sendra Yang smiles and looks into the camera. She is wearing glasses and a white lab coat. It is sunny outside, and there are buildings behind Sendra.

Sendra Yang

Sendra Yang is a co-founder of the Hmong Student Association of Carolina. She was born in California, where her parents were farmers, and moved to North Carolina (near the Morganton and Hickory area) when she was a young child. Sendra … Read more

Asian American, Hmong,

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