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Oral history interview with Jeanette Amisi Mmunga

 Collection
Identifier: SR12298

Scope and Contents

This oral history interview with Jeanette Amisi Mmunga was conducted by Julianna Robidoux on July 10, 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 and occasionally contributed interview questions.

In this interview, Mmunga discusses her family background and early life in the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania, including living conditions in the camp, daily chores, and recreational activities. She also describes experiencing night terrors as a child and her belief that she was the target of witchcraft. She then talks about the process of being resettled in the United States and adjusting to life in Boise, Idaho, in 2010, including experiencing culture shock, learning English, and her education. She talks about relocating to Portland, Oregon, in 2013, and talks about her education and making friends. She also discusses the birth of her younger sister and her sister’s early health problems. She talks about applying for college and earning scholarships, her extracurricular activities in high school, and people who inspired her. She discusses her involvement in I Am M.O.R.E., an organization that encourages young people to tell their stories in order to inspire other young people. She closes the interview by talking about her work educating young women about their bodies, about her plans for the future, and about the meaning of her birth name as well as her chosen name.

Dates

  • 2019 July 10

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

Jeanette Amisi Mmunga, nee Tosha Kitungano, was born to Congolese parents in the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania in 2001. Her family was approved for asylum in the United States, and in 2010 they were resettled in Boise, Idaho. In 2013, the family relocated to Portland, Oregon. She attended Roosevelt High School, where she served as president of the Black Student Union. Jeanette Amisi Mmunga attended Portland Community College and Portland State University. She also worked as a doula and co-founded I Am M.O.R.E., an organization that encourages young people to tell their stories in order to inspire other young people.

Extent

199 Megabytes (1 online resource (1 audio file (1 hr., 50 min., 43 sec.))) : MPEG-4

Language of Materials

English

Abstract

Oral history interview with Jeanette Amisi Mmunga conducted by Julianna Robidoux on July 10, 2019, for The Immigrant Story. Mmunga grew up in the Nyarugusu refugee camp in Tanzania before being resettled in the United States in 2010.

Immediate Source of Acquisition

Gift of The Immigrant Story, February 2021 (Lib. Acc. RL2021-009).

Publication note

An article about Jeanette Amisi Mmunga, "Taking the Opportunity to Shine" by Julianna Robidoux, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/taking-the-opportunity-to-shine/.

Creator

Title
Guide to oral history interview with Jeanette Amisi Mmunga
Status
Completed
Author
Sarah Stroman
Date
2021
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