Oral history interview with Anne Johnson

Collection

Identifier: SR12310

Staff Only

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Anne Johnson was conducted by Julianna Robidoux and Monica Salazar on November 29, 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. Sankar Raman was also present.

In this interview, Johnson discusses her family background and early life in Nairobi, Kenya, including her education. She talks about turning her love of creative pursuits into a tea and chocolate business in Oregon. She discusses her reasons for relocating to Portland, Oregon, for college. She describes the tea sommelier course she took, talks about starting her business, and discusses ethically sourcing her products. She talks about her partnership with her husband, Mark Johnson, about the importance of tea in her family life, and about her reasons for including chocolate in her business. She talks about her future plans for Mamancy Tea Co. She closes the interview by discussing discrimination that she experienced as a Black woman and an immigrant.

Dates

2019 November 29

Creator

Johnson, Anne, 1978- (Interviewee, Person)

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

Anne Johnson was born in Nairobi, Kenya, in 1978. In 2001, she relocated to Portland, Oregon, to attend Portland Community College. After graduating with a degree in accounting from the University of Phoenix, she worked as a certified public accountant for a few years. After completing a tea sommelier course, she began Mamancy Tea Co., a tea and chocolate business, in 2018, with locations in Beaverton and Hillsboro.

Extent

516 Megabytes (1 audio file (WAV, 47 min.))

Language of Materials

English

Additional Description

Abstract

Oral history interview with Anne Johnson conducted by Julianna Robidoux and Monica Salazar for The Immigrant Story. Johnson, who emigrated from Kenya, discusses starting a tea and chocolate business in the Portland, Oregon, area.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Access to audio recording is provided online in OHS Digital Collections.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

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

Publication note

An article about Anne Johnson, "Blending Business and Culture" by Julianna Robidoux, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/business-and-culture/.