Skip to main content

Oral history interview with Reza Uddin

 Collection
Identifier: SR 12331

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Resa Uddin was conducted by Allison Merkel and Sankar Raman on July 25, 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, Uddin discusses his family background and early life in Maungdaw, Burma, in the 1960s and 1970s, including the relationship between Rohingya Muslims and Rakhine Buddhists. He describes the deterioration in the status of Rohingya Muslims after the 1982 change to the Burmese constitution that rescinded their citizenship, and talks about his experience in college in Rangoon, including his involvement in student organizations for Rohingya rights. He also discusses the history of oppression of the Rohingya, and describes the oppression he and his family experienced in the 1980s and 1990s. He speaks about coming to the United States on a student visa, and about his experiences living and studying in Pendleton, Oregon. He talks about the process of receiving asylum. He discusses his experiences at Portland State University, and as the only Rohingya in Portland until 2005. He also talks about his marriage and the process of getting a green card for his wife. He discusses jobs he held, including running a gas station with his wife in Salem, Oregon. He closes the interview by talking about his work to help other Rohingya refugees, and by sharing his thoughts about the future of the Rohingya people.

Dates

  • 2019 July 25

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

Reza Uddin was born in Maungdaw, Burma, in 1964. In 1982, the government passed a law that rescinded Burmese citizenship for Rohingya Muslims. While Uddin was in college in Rangoon, the status of Rohingyas steadily deteriorated, and he was active in student organizations for Rohingya rights. In 1993, he received a student visa for the United States, and attended Blue Mountain Community College in Pendleton, Oregon. He was granted asylum after his visa expired. He transferred to Portland State University, and later earned a bachelor’s degree in chemistry. In 2001, he became a U.S. citizen. In 2017, he founded Friends of the Rohingya, which supports Rohingya refugees.

Extent

932 Megabytes (2 audio files (WAV, 1 hr., 24 min., 52 sec.))

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with Reza Uddin conducted by Allison Merkel and Sankar Raman on July 25, 2019, for The Immigrant Story. Uddin discusses his experiences as a Rohingya Muslim in Burma and Oregon.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

Immediate Source of Acquisition

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

Publication note

An article about Reza Uddin, "Once Home, Now a Jungle" by Allison Merkel, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/once-home-now-a-jungle/. A podcast based on this interview, "Leave Home and Don't Come Back," by Allison Merkel, was also published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/yes-i-am-a-rohingya/.

Creator

Title
Guide to the oral history interview with Reza Uddin
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