Lee Po Cha Oral History Interview

Interviewee: Lee Po Cha
Interviewer: Natalia Fernández
Interview Date: September 18, 2014
Location: Portland, Oregon
Duration: 1:09:48
 

This interview begins with Lee Po Cha discussing personal information such as where he has lived, his time at Portland State University, how his family coped with being refugees in America, the duties of his father when he worked for the U.S. government during the Vietnam War, and his siblings. Transitioning, he recounts his beginnings at both IRCO and the Asian Family Center (AFC). He discusses the role that he had to play when he was the director of the AFC. He then expounds upon the needs of the community, outreach, his current role as the associate director of IRCO, and funding. More specifically, he discusses the research and outcomes of the Coalition of Communities of Color report. Also important in this interview, he highlights the similarities and differences of struggles within the community of color to whom they tailor their programs. Lee Po Cha concludes by expressing what he foresees as the future of AFC, how the immigrant and refugee population has shifted, and acknowledgments of those who influenced him.

Lee Po Cha was born in Xayaburi, Laos, in 1963 to Laotian parents. He self-identifies as Laotian American, Hmong American—ethnically as Hmong and nationality-wise as Laotian. He grew up there until the mid-seventies when he and his family, consisting of his parents and 4 siblings, moved to Thailand before moving to Portland, Oregon, in 1978 after being sponsored by the Metropolitan Baptist Church. Cha attended Portland State University to study business administration. He began working for IRCO in 1981 and helped to establish the Asian Family Center in 1994. He currently holds the position of associate director at IRCO where he works to assist the executive director on government relations and to oversee that all of the programs are running smoothly.

Dublin Core

Title

Lee Po Cha Oral History Interview

Description

This interview begins with Lee Po Cha discussing personal information such as where he has lived, his time at Portland State University, how his family coped with being refugees in America, the duties of his father when he worked for the U.S. government during the Vietnam War, and his siblings. Transitioning, he recounts his beginnings at both IRCO and the Asian Family Center (AFC). He discusses the role that he had to play when he was the director of the AFC. He then expounds upon the needs of the community, outreach, his current role as the associate director of IRCO, and funding. More specifically, he discusses the research and outcomes of the Coalition of Communities of Color report. Also important in this interview, he highlights the similarities and differences of struggles within the community of color to whom they tailor their programs. Lee Po Cha concludes by expressing what he foresees as the future of AFC, how the immigrant and refugee population has shifted, and acknowledgments of those who influenced him.

Lee Po Cha was born in Xayaburi, Laos, in 1963 to Laotian parents. He self-identifies as Laotian American, Hmong American—ethnically as Hmong and nationality-wise as Laotian. He grew up there until the mid-seventies when he and his family, consisting of his parents and 4 siblings, moved to Thailand before moving to Portland, Oregon, in 1978 after being sponsored by the Metropolitan Baptist Church. Cha attended Portland State University to study business administration. He began working for IRCO in 1981 and helped to establish the Asian Family Center in 1994. He currently holds the position of associate director at IRCO where he works to assist the executive director on government relations and to oversee that all of the programs are running smoothly.

Creator

Lee Po Cha

Source

Asian Family Center Oral History Collection

Publisher

Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries

Date

September 18, 2014

Contributor

Natalia Fernández

Format

Born Digital

Language

English

Type

Oral History

Identifier

OH30-cha-leepo-20140918

Oral History Item Type Metadata

Interviewer

Natalia Fernández

Interviewee

Lee Po Cha

Location

Portland, Oregon

Original Format

Born Digital

Duration

1:09:48

OHMS Object

Interview Format

video