About This Project

What is COVID-19 Asian American Oral History Project?

The COVID-19 Oral History Project is a collection of images, essays, and video recordings documenting the experience of LaGuardia Community College students, especially those of the Asian descent, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The goal of this project is to collect, analyze, exhibit, and preserve over 50 videotaped interviews of Asian and Asian American New Yorkers. This project aims to document and recognize the diverse experiences of Asian and Asian Americans at LaGuardia Community College and its surrounding communities in Queens during COVID-19. Asian communities in Queens are situated in the epicenter of the pandemic and have been disproportionately affected by economic, health, and social impacts of COVID-19. Videotaped interviews collectively demonstrate how race/ethnicity, immigration status, economics, and linguistic background could become deciding factors in receiving desired financial, health, and social support during the pandemic.

How Can I Participate in or contribute to this project?

  1. Visit the Asian American Oral History Project website (https://asianheritage.commons.gc.cuny.edu) and see example oral history videos.
  2. If you are interested in participating in this oral history project, make an appointment for your interview at https://bit.ly/OralHist2021. The interview usually takes between 20-30 min.
  3. You will be asked to sign on the video release form and the research consent form before the interview (both forms are available on the appointment form).
  4. Contact Tomonori Nagano at tnagano@lagcc.cuny.edu or Thomas Cleary at tcleary@lagcc.cuny.edu for inquiries.
AHC2021FlyerOralHistoryFlyerRev2

Funding

The COVID-19 Oral History Project is funded by the PSC-CUNY Research Award Cycle 52 (2021-2022; Co-PI: Thomas Cleary and Tomonori Nagano).

Excerpts from the oral history interviews