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Oral history interview with Franklin Tokam-Powell

 Collection
Identifier: SR12265

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Franklin Tokam-Powell was conducted by Rachel Ramirez on April 30, 2017. 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, Tokam-Powell discusses his early life in Cameroon, including his family and education. He talks about feeling like he was different and being bullied; his close relationship with one of his older sisters; and his experience as a Jehovah’s Witness. He discusses how he realized as a teenager that he was gay and that he would have to leave Cameroon, where homosexuality was criminalized. He talks about moving to Ukraine to attend the Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University, including the culture shock he experienced, learning Ukrainian and Russian, and joining a band as a vocalist. He then talks about touring with his band in China in 2009; moving to China after earning his bachelor’s degree in 2012; and moving to South Korea to study public policy at the KDI School of Public Policy and Management in Sejong City. He also talks about passing as straight, being outed to his family, and their subsequent rejection. He discusses becoming ill while in China, and his determination to live life as himself after he recovered. He talks about his experience in South Korea, including the racism he experienced, and how he met his future husband, Tristan Powell. He talks about the process of applying for a fiancé visa to the United States, his marriage to Powell, and his life and career in Oregon. He closes the interview by discussing his current relationship with his family; describing the political situation and the roots of homophobia in Cameroon; and his thoughts on American politics at the time of the interview in 2017.

Dates

  • Creation: 2017 April 30

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

Franklin Bobino Tokam-Powell was born in Cameroon in the mid-1980s. After realizing that he was gay, he left Cameroon, where homosexuality is criminalized, and moved to Ukraine. He was a vocalist in a band, and in 2009 the band toured China. In 2012, he earned a bachelor's degree in business administration from Ternopil Ivan Puluj National Technical University in Ternopil, Ukraine. He then moved to China and continued to sing in a band. He attended KDI School of Public Policy and Management in Sejong City, South Korea, and earned a master’s degree in public policy in 2015. While in South Korea, he met Tristan Powell, an American. After same-sex marriage was legalized in the United States in 2015, they moved to Oregon, were married, and hyphenated their names. In 2018, Tokam-Powell earned a post-baccalaureate certificate in government analytics from Johns Hopkins University.

Extent

62.2 Megabytes (1 online resource (1 audio file (1 hr., 6 min., 44 sec.))) : MPEG-4

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with Franklin Tokam-Powell conducted by Rachel Ramirez on April 30, 2017, for The Immigrant Story. Tokam-Powell was born in Cameroon. He lived and studied in Ukraine, China, and South Korea before he and his partner, Tristan Powell, moved to the United States, where they married.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of The Immigrant Story, 2020 (Lib. Acc. RL2020-017).

Publication note

An article about Franklin Tokam-Powell, "A Once in a Lifetime Journey" by Rachel Ramirez, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/lifetime-journey/.
Title
Guide to oral history interview with Franklin Tokam-Powell
Status
Completed
Author
Sarah Stroman
Date
2020
Description rules
Describing Archives: A Content Standard
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Script of description
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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