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Oral History Interview with Billy and Duyen Chang, March 4, 2021

 Item
Identifier: 2020.020.034

Abstract

Billy and Duyen Chang are originally immigrants from Hong Kong and Vietnam respectively who grew up in the U.S. and now live in the D.C. Metro area. They both faced challenges while assimilating to American life and culture, most notably in learning English, but they were both able to fully adjust to life in the U.S. after their initial transition periods. When their families immigrated to the U.S. (Duyen’s family moved to the suburbs of Chicago, while Billy’s originally moved to Miami) they were some of the only Asian-Americans in their communities. Billy’s family then moved to Maryland, which was an easy transition for him, in part because there was a larger Asian-American community there. Currently, Billy and Duyen are very involved with their religious community through their local church. During the pandemic their roles within their church community have changed: Billy has helped other members of the community with the technical virtual aspects of online worship, while Duyen is very involved in organizing aid for people in need in the community, through food drives and other community service events. They have both seen great participation from their church community even during the pandemic, and have actually seen an increase in attendance for many church programs due to the increased accessibility of the virtual atmosphere. Although their routines have changed during the pandemic, Duyen and Billy maintain a positive outlook. They are excited to see family and friends again in person, and look forward to travel and other family events.

Dates

  • March 4, 2021

Extent

1 Files

Language of Materials

English