The Shoah Survivors Project Oral History Interviews (2020 October) consist of four oral history interviews conducted in October 2020 and a project video created for the Shoah Survivors Project led by Roberta Sabbath and Shahab Zargari. The project interviewed four Holocaust survivors now living in Las Vegas, Nevada: Alexander Keuchel, Sabina Wagschal Callwood, Stephen Nasser, and Henry Kronberg. The collection also contains brief notes and partial transcripts for the video oral history interviews.
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Oral history interview with Sarah Bartlett conducted by Sydney Bartlett on December 10, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Sarah recalls immigrating from Quezon City, Philippines as a young woman to Toronto, Canada. She recalls her childhood being full of rich cultural traditions, lots of family bonding time, and working to help support her family. Despite not having a college education, she secured a career as a title officer at Chicago Title, a position which she has held for twenty-five years. Sarah eventually met her husband, who shared a Filipino ancestry, and moved from Canada to Las Vegas, Nevada. Here they built their own life together, and despite hardships throughout her life, Sarah cherishes the unique experiences she has had living in Las Vegas.
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Oral history interview with Erica Mosca conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Stefani Evans, and Jerwin Tiu on February 3, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Mosca reflects on her life journey from a low-income Asian American to a current serving Nevada State Assemblywoman. She recalls that most of her childhood was in Palm Springs, California where she enjoyed a diverse community of students within her education system. It was not until she moved to Navato, California where she first experienced the economic and resource gap between economically diverse areas. Mosca went on to be involved in a college readiness program and received a scholarship to Boston University. After college, Mosca went on to work for Teach for America where she was stationed on the east side of Las Vegas at Goldfarb Elementary School where she grew a passion for leadership. She eventually returned to school and graduated from Harvard University, returning to Las Vegas to start her nonprofit "Leaders in Training." Mosca hopes to inspire change in her communities by enacting legislation and initiatives targeted towards the communities she was and continutes to be a part of.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Casiano Corpus Jr. conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on February 14, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Corpus Jr. details a difficult childhood in the Philippines, where society is highly socioeconomically stratified. He recalls his parents working a number of jobs to support their large family, and as soon as he finished his primary schooling, he also started working in construction. When his father was finally petitioned by his uncle to move to the United States, Corpus was at first reluctant to go, since he had a familiar life in the Philippines, but has come to love the United States and the life he created for himself. Immediately after moving to the United States, their family landed in Las Vegas, Nevada, and Corpus began working a number of jobs. He started out as a busboy at a Chinese restaurant before deciding that he wanted to work in a casino and moved to Union Plaza. His current job is as a porter at Palace Station, where he has been for the past 31 years. He has also been working to unionize Palace Station and Station casinos with the Culinary Union for the past twelve years. He talks about the hunger strike he organized, why he organizes with no fear, and what he hopes to see out of his efforts throughout the interview.
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Oral history interview with Ernest Oon conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Stefani Evans, and Jerwin Tiu on February 16, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Oon recalls his childhood in Singapore, where his father worked on the Health and Sports Council for the Singaporean Government and his mother worked as a television assistant producer. Growing up, Oon recalls being very active, participating in everything from soccer to Tae Kwon Do. In an effort to continue his education without being being interrupted by Singapore's civil service program, Oon applied to college in the United States and ended up attending California State University. Although he was on the medicine track in Singapore, he switched to finance. After a series of jobs within credit banking, he is now a chief credit officer for Bank of Nevada. Throughout the interview, Oon reflects on the changes in his life living in different places, the street food from Singapore, and his unique tennis game.
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Oral history interview with Nicole Cristina Espinosa conducted by Yancy Bayoro on November 17, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Espinosa recalls growing up in Vallejo, California as a first-generation Filipino-American. Because their parents had converted to Mormonism while still in the Philippines, Espinosa grew up surrounded by the Latter-day Saints (LDS) community, attending church every Sunday and going off to camp regularly. In their LDS community, the Espinosa family was often the only non-White family, while among the other Filipinos at school being the only Mormon among Catholics, creating a tension in their identity. Nevertheless, Espinosa had a large extended family nearby and fondly remembers spending time with them as a teenager. They talk about moving to Las Vegas, Nevada in high school because of the low cost of living and job opportunities. After graduating high school, Espinosa worked a number of jobs from TSA at the airport to retail at Urban Outfitters. Epinosa discusses their parent's experience with assimilation and the parts of Filipino culture that were left behind. Throughout the rest of the interview, Espinosa talks about a range of other topics such as public transportation, finding good food, and their AAPI identity.
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Oral history interview with Carl Esteban conducted by William Bailey on December 2, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Esteban recalls growing up in Salinas, California in a predominantly Asian community before relocating with family to Las Vegas, Nevada in 2002. As a first generation Filipino America, Esteban's mother sacrificed her life in the Philippines to become the sole person in her family to immigrate to America. Esteban received his degree in Special Education and is currently pursuing to a master's degree in the same field. Esteban is currently a special education educator at the Yvonne Atkinson-Gates Center in North Las Vegas. Throughout the interview, Esteban discusses a wide range of topics spanning from his family migration story, his early childhood, his Filipino identity, Asian stereotypes as the model minority, and how his mentors helped shape him into the person he is today.
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Oral history interview with Emily Persaud-Zamora conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on January 17, 2023 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Persaud-Zamora remembers growing up in Queens, New York and being exposed to numerous cultures and ethnicities. Though her parents separated when she was two, Persaud-Zamora maintained a steady relationship with both. Her mother was originally from Brazil and worked as a chef, primarily for private homes. Her father was an immigrant from Guyana, with roots in India, and did catering for large events and eventually moved to Georgia. Growing up she recalls being between two worlds, never feeling quite Brazilian enough or Asian enough, but still being connected to her Hindu roots in various ways. When she was fifteen, Persaud-Zamora and her mother moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where she continued high school and describes the cultural differences between the two places she had lived. After high school, she received a degree in political science and ended up working in public policy. Her current position at Silver State Voices involves work with many different organizations across Nevada to advocate for progressive issues and underrepresented communities. Throughout the interview, Persaud-Zamora touches on a number of other issues, including her religion, traditions, and family.
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Oral history interview with Jessica Guiao conducted by Grecia Lopez on November 22, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Guiao recalls her childhood in Hayward, California, and being raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. She recalls not liking the climate of Nevada at first, and describes the friends she has made throughout her time in the city and the identity she has developed. Guiao discusses some of the pressures and stereotypes surrounding Asian Americans, such as what career path they should pursue or the aversion to embracing subcultures, and how she has consolidated her rebellion into her own identity. Throughout the interview, Guiao touches on other topics such as Filipino food, the long-standing history between Mexican and Filipino communities, Catholicism, goth culture, and anti-Asian hate and racism that she and her family has faced.
Archival Collection
Oral history interview with Anna Nakazawa conducted by Donnielle Dove on November 29, 2022 for the Reflections: the Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. In this interview, Nakazawa reflects on her upbringing in Las Vegas, Nevada what it was like growing up and what it was like growing up Asian-American in Southern Nevada. Nakazawa is currently enrolled at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas and studying criminal justice. She recalls attending Saturday Japanese school every weekend until she was in high school, allowing her to connect with her cultural background and describes annual trips to Japan in the summer. Nakazawa's ambition and determination is something she takes pride in, and speaks of her multiple jobs and the financial opportunities they bring her. Furthermore, she discusses the importance of education and sharing Asian-American news on social media so more people have a better understanding of what is it like to be Asian-American.
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