Oral history interview with Elda Membreno conducted by Elsa Lopez on February 15, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Elda Membreno discusses her childhood and young adulthood growing up in El Salvador. She recalls her family struggling financially throughout her childhood, which caused her parents to make the trip to the United States and began financially supporting Elda and her siblings abroad. Membreno shares how she became a single mother at a young age and the struggles that came along with that. After remarrying, Elda and her new husband immigrated to California. In 2004, the couple moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, and Membreno began working as housekeeper. Membreno discusses the problems she faced in her marriage and shares how her experiences have caused her to become outspoken about the problems she has faced throughout her life. Elda is a big advocate for therapy, and she talks about how many Latin households must break the stigma of domestic abuse. Finally, Membreno discusses her involvement in the Culinary Workers Union Local 226 and her various civic engagements.
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Oral history interview with Brendan Ly conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on March 27, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Brendan discusses his background growing up in communist Vietnam in the early 1970s and fleeing with his family as refugees; they immigrated to Hong Kong, China before moving to the United States to live briefly in North Carolina before settling in California. Brendan talks about working at a young age picking fruit, working in catering, and having positions in retail before pursuing higher education and studying pharmaceuticals. He shares stories of his work experience with Walgreens and how this led to him opening a pharmacy with his brother, which they've managed together for the past 18 years.
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Oral history interview with Ropchai, Somphool, Sakulrat, Puonyarat, and Rutt Premsrirut conducted by Cecilia Winchell and Stefani Evans on November 23, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project. The Premsrirut family takes turns sharing their personal and professional histories and what brought them to Las Vegas, Nevada. Father Ropchai discusses his educational background and how he came to be an Economics Professor at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas after growing up in Nong Khai, Thailand. Mother Somphool, born in the same town in Thailand, shares her path in pursuing medicine and becoming a pediatrician. Siblings Sakulrat, Puonyarat, and Rutt talk about their childhoods growing up in the United States and their current professional pursuits.
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Oral history interview with Kim You Taing conducted by Vanessa Concepcion, Cecilia Winchell, and Stefani Evans on November 15, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Kim discusses his upbringing in Cambodia during the Cambodian Civil War, the death of his siblings from tragedy and his father from racially-motivated war crimes, and his immigration to the United States as a refugee. He shares how he and his mother lived and worked in the United States, first in Seattle, Washington and then in Las Vegas, Nevada. Kim talks about his work in the hospitality industry in various Vegas hotels and casinos and his membership with the Culinary Workers Union advocating for Asian workers. He also discusses family life with his wife and daughter and his plans to retire.
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Oral history interview with Gloria T. Caoile conducted by Vanessa Concepcion and Stefani Evans on November 18, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Gloria talks about her immigration from the United States to the Philippines with her family when she was a child and how she lived there until the age of 16. She describes her upbringing and family's values that led her to pursue activism within the Asian American community. Gloria shares stories from her three decades of activism and community outreach working with the Asian Pacific American Labor Alliance, local labor unions, and other organizations to uplift Filipino Americans within Las Vegas and the United States.
Subjects discussed include: Ilocano people/language; compound homes; Lolas; Seafood City; Philippine Times newspaper; Claire Chenault
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Oral history interview with Lisa Song Sutton conducted by Cecilia Winchell, Vanessa Concepcion, and Stefani Evans on November 19, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Lisa shares her personal history and childhood memories moving from Seoul, South Korea to Sierra Vista, Arizona at the age of five. She discusses her educational and professional pursuits in business litigation, bankruptcy law, entrepreneurship, modeling, and her time in the pageant circuit winning Miss Vegas and Miss Nevada in 2013. Lisa also talks about her activism and community engagement efforts to empower women within Las Vegas. She concludes her interview with insight into her Korean heritage, traditional celebrations, and religion.
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Oral history interview with Yazmin Beltran conducted by Rodrigo Vasquez and Barbara Tabach on February 4, 2019 for the Latinx Voices of Southern Nevada Oral History Project. Beltran discusses her early life in Mexicali, Baja California, Mexico and her childhood and upbringing in Mexico. In 2003, at the age of eighteen, she and her mother joined the rest of her family in Las Vegas, Nevada. After attending College of Southern Nevada and taking English as a Second Language classes, Yazmin began to write as a Spanish contributor for a publication in Reno, and became a writer for Spanish publications in Las Vegas, including El Tiempo, El Mundo, and Univision. Beltran's work for Univision led her to Texas, where she covered events and crises including the 2018 child separation occurring at the United States border, which she discusses in the interview. Finally, Beltran talks about being a journalist for The Nevada Independent and the importance of continuing to report in Spanish.
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Oral history interview with Owen S. Bunker, Mary F. Botts Miller, LaRue and Richard Worthen, and Janice Zobrist conducted by Claytee D. White and Karen Schank on June 12, 2010 for the Boyer Early Las Vegas Oral History Project. In this interview, participants discuss their relationship to the Old Mormon Fort in Las Vegas, Nevada. Miller talks about her family’s involvement at the Fort and remembers school integration. Richard and LaRue recall moving to Las Vegas in 1942 and describe the old Las Vegas creek. Bunker talks about his uncle’s involvement at the Fort raising hogs and cultivating fig trees, and remembers the Quinn Dairy Farms business. Lastly, Zobrist discusses growing up in Las Vegas and being a member of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers.
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Oral history interview with Chris Lee conducted by Cecelia Winchell and Stefani Evans on December 14, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Judge Chris Lee reflects on the lives of his parents, their occupations and experiences during the Korean War, and his family's decision to immigrate from Incheon, South Korea to Las Vegas. He recalls memories from his childhood visiting family in Korea, Korean traditions and food, his educational pursuits, and the livelihood of his parents after immigrating. Chris also shares details of his employment history as Deputy District Attorney for the Clark County District Attorney’s Office, as Deputy Secretary of State for Southern Nevada, as the first Asian American elected to the Clark County Justice Court bench, and presently as Judge in Department 1 of the North Las Vegas Municipal Court.
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Oral history interview with Randy Char conducted by Cecelia Winchell and Stefani Evans on December 15, 2021 for Reflections: The Las Vegas Asian American and Pacific Islander Oral History Project.
Randy discusses his family history, his childhood growing up in California, and his undergraduate education. He shares his employment history that ranged from selling life insurance to trading stocks and finally selling luxury real estate. Randy talks about pursuing an MBA program at Pepperdine University during the 2008 financial crisis and how his capstone project idea of luxury real estate lounges helped him to open his own brokerage in Las Vegas in 2014 before becoming a real estate broker for Sotheby's. Randy also shares his thoughts on diversity within Asian cultures and different Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) organizations that helped him to "reclaim his Asian identity" including the Asian Real Estate Association of America (AREAA) and the Leaders Forum.
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