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Oral history interview with Gitanjali J. Hursh

 Collection
Identifier: SR 12306

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Gitanjali J. Hursh was conducted by Elayna Yussen on April 15, 2019. The interview was recorded for The Immigrant Story, an organization that documents and archives the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States.

In this interview, Hursh discusses her family background and early life as a biracial second-generation Indian American. She also talks about her mother’s immigration to the United States in 1973, as well as her mother’s adjustment to life in the U.S. She talks about her family's frequent moves during her childhood, speaks about her early interest in music and dance, and discusses making friends in new schools. She speaks about her mother’s life, career, and cultural background. She talks about her cultural and ethnic identity during her early life, and about connecting to her Indian cultural heritage in her 20s. She talks about studying art at Portland State University, and discusses working various jobs. She describes how she first got into being a DJ while helping to organize workers at Powell’s Books into the ILWU Local 5 union. She speaks about her partnership with Stephen Strausbaugh to form the duo of DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid; describes the music scene in Portland during the late 1990s and early 2000s; and talks about the enduring popularity of the duo’s monthly Desi dance party, ANDAZ. She describes how the party has changed since its early days at the Fez Ballroom, talks about other dance parties that they play, and discusses her plans for the future. She closes the interview by discussing her involvement in the Portland Indian community, offering advice on negotiating wages, and talking about challenges she faced during her career.

Dates

  • 2019 April 15

Creator

Conditions Governing Access

Collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and The Immigrant Story. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/

Biographical note

Gitanjali “Anju” Jacqueline Hursh, aka DJ Anjali, was born in Oregon City, Oregon, in 1973. During her childhood, her family moved frequently. She attended Portland State University. In 2000, she and her partner, Stephen Strausbaugh, formed the duo DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid. Together, they founded the monthly ANDAZ dance party, which is the longest-running Desi dance party in the world.

Extent

66.4 Megabytes (2 audio files (M4A, 2 hr., 21 min., 46 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with Gitanjali J. Hursh conducted by Elayna Yussen on April 15, 2019, for The Immigrant Story. Hursh discusses her career as a disc jockey as part of the duo DJ Anjali and the Incredible Kid.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of The Immigrant Story, June 2021 (RL2021-057).

Publication note

An article about Gitanjali J. Hursh, "Celebrating Identity Through Music" by Elayna Yussen, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/celebrating/.
Title
Guide to the oral history interview with Gitanjali J. Hursh
Status
Completed
Author
Sarah Stroman
Date
2022
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
Language of description
English
Script of description
Latin
Language of description note
Finding aid is written in English.

Repository Details

Part of the Oregon Historical Society Research Library Repository

Contact:
1200 SW Park Ave.
Portland OR 97205 United States
5033065204
5033065240