Asian Family Center Oral History Collection, 2014-2016

By Finding aid prepared by Natalia Fernández, Avery Sorensen, and Chris Petersen

The Immigrant and Refugee Community Organization (IRCO) was established in 1976 to serve immigrants and refugees in Portland, Oregon. IRCO's mission is to promote the integration of refugees, immigrants, and the community at large into a self-sufficient, healthy, and inclusive multiethnic society. Through its five primary locations – IRCO Main, Africa House/Skill Center, Asian Family Center, Senior Services Center, and the International Language Bank – the organization provides programs and services related to training and employment, health and aging, English language learning, naturalization and social adjustment, community development, early childhood, parenting and youth development, education and interpretation and translation.

Sivai Bennett was born in 1960 in American Samoa. She lived there until she moved to La Grande, Oregon, at age 18 to attend Eastern Oregon University and study political science. After two years, Bennett transferred to the University of Oregon in Eugene, Oregon, where she continued her studies to become a lawyer even though she aspired to become a teacher. There she met her husband. She moved with him to La Grande and began her studies to become an elementary school teacher. In 1984, Bennett, her husband, and her daughter moved back to American Samoa where she taught high school. They then relocated to El Centro, California, in 1988 where they lived for 10 years. Eventually they moved to Portland, Oregon, where Bennett received her Masters of Arts in Teaching in 2003 at the University of Portland. Currently, she is a teacher at Harold Oliver Elementary in Portland. She also serves as a volunteer advisory board member of IRCO's Asian Family Center where her role is to advise the directors, help fundraise, and connect IRCO to her community. Bennett also serves as the secretary for the board of directors at the Samoa Pacific Development Corporation where she has previously held the positions of president, vice-president, and treasurer.

Ronault "Polo" Catalani was born on December 15th, 1953 in the Netherlands. He identifies with both Catalan and Manado ethnicities and heritage. Catalani spent his early childhood living in Indonesia until he and his family moved to the Netherlands due to the civil strife. Catalani lived in the Netherlands for six years where he began school. In 1966, his family moved to Salem, Oregon, as church-sponsored refugees. In 1972, Catalani was drafted by the United States army, so he sought asylum with his grandfather in the Netherlands in order to not be sent back to the turmoil in Asia from which he escaped. Once the draft had ended, Catalani returned to Salem, Oregon. He then began attending the University of Oregon on an athletic scholarship and received his bachelor's degree in political science, psychology, and philosophy. During this time he met his wife, and he also travelled to the Netherlands, Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Sudan, Kenya, and Ethiopia on fellowships and grants for one of his professors—Professor Davies. Under Professor Davies, Catalani continued on to graduate school in human migrations. However, because he and his wife had a baby, he decided to not finish school at this time and began work for the Oregon Department of Human Resources in Coos Bay. Returning to Salem, he received his doctorate in law followed by his post-doc in community lawyering at Howard University in D.C. Using this education, Catalani started organizing minority communities in Salem, and then moved this practice to Portland. He partnered with mutual assistance associations and the government in order to establish IRCO in 1986. Currently he serves as a board member for both the Asian Family Center (AFC) and IRCO. His current duties include civic engagement, fundraising, finding future partners, and facilitating relationships between the government and IRCO.

Lee Po Cha was born in Xayaburi, Laos, on July 11th, 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.

Hongsa Chanthavong was born on October 1, 1934, in Laos to Laotian parents who were born in the early 1900s. Because he comes from Laos, he self-identifies as Lao. Chanthavong attended school in Laos, in Vientiane, until coming to the United States in 1959 to study at the University of Miami. He came by himself to study in the School of Government of Political Science on a scholarship granted by the U.S. government. After his graduation in 1964, he began working for the State Department as an escort interpreter, but after three months, he returned to Laos. There, he worked for the government when in 1975 he was captured by communists and came as a refugee to the United States in 1983 with his wife and children. He began his career at IRCO in 1984 as a business specialist with the Economic Development Project. He moved from that position to resource specialist to director of the International Language Bank, and then he set up the Asian Family Center, becoming the center coordinator in 1994. He now works as the community organizer of the Diversity and Civic Leadership Project and as a business development specialist.

Sophorn Cheang was born in the capital city of Cambodia on October 16, 1980, to Cambodian parents; therefore, she self-identifies as Cambodian-American. Cheang was raised in Cambodia until she was 19 when she moved to Oregon to attend, first, Mount Hood Community College and then Portland State University to earn an associate's degree in banking and another degree in finance. Because her aunt and uncle were already living in Gresham, Oregon, they sponsored her to attend school; her parents have since moved to the United States. First getting involved with the Asian Family Center in 2010, Cheang joined the advisory board in early 2011; she then became the chair of the advisory board until she quit that position to pursue the operating side of the non-profit organization. She currently works as the community health and leadership development manager where she both oversees the programs that work closely with the organization's health programs and manages the budget.

Danita Huynh was born on September 6th in Newport, Oregon, to a father who was born in Canada and a mother who was born in Arkansas. Huynh identifies herself as Caucasian with a background of Norwegian. Living in Lincoln City, Southern Oregon, and various other places throughout Oregon, she moved to Georgia for about five years. However, she then returned to Oregon and has been living in Portland for 21 years. Huynh has been affiliated with the Asian Family Center for 17 years; starting out as a parent educator doing direct-service work with the Parent-Child Development Program in 1997, she was then promoted to the lead parent educator position, then to coordinator, then to her current position as manager of AFC's Children Programing. On a daily basis, her job consists of supporting and supervising 25 home-visitors, collaborating with other programs, presenting to other community agencies, and monitoring budgets, goals, and outcomes. Huynh has a background in early education and Asian communities.

Thuy Le was born in Vietnam in 1981. Her parents were also born in Vietnam in the 1950s. She lived in Vietnam with her family until she was 16 years old. In 1997 they moved to Oregon after being sponsored by Le’s uncle. She attended Portland Community College and transferred to Portland State University; she graduated in 2006 with a degree in sociology. While attending college, Le began to volunteer at the Asian Family Center in 2004 with the Parent and Child Development Services Program. After graduating she was hired full time with the program. Within the same Parenting Department she worked with the Healthy Start Program until 2010. In 2011 she began a half time position as a Vietnamese Family Engagement Specialist within the Youth Department. Soon after, she began another half time position as a Rental Assistance Case Manager within the Anti-Poverty Department. After a few years working both jobs, she became full time with the Anti-Poverty Department, half time as case manager and half time as program coordinator. Le has family in Vietnam, has visited several times, and hopes to continue to explore the country.

Simeon D. Mamaril was born February 12, 1925, in the Philippines. His parents moved to Oregon when Mamaril was a toddler, and he was raised by his paternal grandparents who were farmers. After World War II, he attended college at the Far Eastern University in Manila and graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting. Prior to graduation he gained employment with the Philippine National Bank in Manila. In 1963-64, on study leave grant by the Philippine National Bank, he took economic courses through the University of Oregon in Eugene and at the Portland State College in Portland. In 1984 Mamaril, a Branch Manager, retired, and that same year he immigrated to the United States on a permanent status. Since his arrival in Portland, aside from his regular employment in various firms, Mamaril has been involved in various local and national, social and civic, both private and public organizations in various capacities. Organizations include: the Asian Family Center (AFC) – one of the founders, a board member, and an officer; Asian American Seniors Coalition, Asian Family Center; Oregon Commission on Asian Affairs – commissioner; Asian Law Enforcement Council - Portland Police Dept.; the Asian Pacific Net Work of Oregon (APANO) – one of the founders; the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS) - past President for seven years; Filipino American Association of Portland and Vicinity Inc. - member and past Board Chair under various administrations; Philippine American Chamber of Commerce of Oregon (PACCO) - past Board Chair and current Auditor and in the Trade and Investment Committee; Aguman Capampanga NW USA, Inc. - honorary member; Greater Salem Filipino Association; Council of Filipino American Associations (CFAA) - a permanent Trustee. On the national level Mamaril has served with the National Federation of Filipino American Associations (NAFFAA) - Chair, State of Oregon; Federation of Philippine American Chambers of Commerce (FPACC) - Secretary. Mamaril married his first wife in 1952 and they had six children. She passed away in 1986 and he remarried in 1987. They have lived in Portland, Oregon permanently since then. He regularly returns to the Philippines for various reasons including: medical/dental missions once or twice year, trade and investment missions, family gatherings, as well as attending various organizational events.

Linda Nguyen was born in 1966 in Vietnam. Her parents were also born in Vietnam. She and her family immigrated to the United States during the 1970s, but first lived in Guam for a few years in a refugee camp prior to being sponsored by a church to move to Oregon. Nguyen’s family, which included ten children, was the first Vietnamese refugee family to immigrate to Oregon. As a teenager Nguyen volunteered as an interpreter in the health and court system and worked picking strawberries as well as assisting her mother with her janitorial work. After living in California during the 1980s, Nguyen returned to Oregon. Prior to joining the Asian Family Center she owned her own business and became a nail tech. In 2006, Nguyen began working for the Asian Family Center as an Energy Assistant with the Anti-Poverty Program and has been in the position since that time. Nguyen has two children with her first husband and is currently married to her second husband.

Connie Kim Yen Nguyen-Truong was born May 26th, 1976, in Portland, Oregon. As her parents were both born in Vietnam, she self-identifies as Vietnamese-American. She grew up in the Portland area and attended Benson High School. Upon graduation, she attended Linfield College Good Samaritan School of Nursing where she graduated in 2000 with her Bachelors of Science in Nursing. After practicing for five years, Nguyen-Truong attended the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) School of Nursing where she received her PhD and completed a post-doctoral fellowship. Her dissertation discussed health practices, in particular cervical cancer screenings, among Vietnamese immigrant women in the United States. This involved work with IRCO AFC's Vietnamese Women's Health Project. After defending her dissertation in 2011, she pursued her postdoctoral fellowship through 2013. Not only did she worked with IRCO in the Vietnamese Women's Health Project (parts one, two, and three) and its community advisory board, but she also became a board member for AFC during her post-doc and a fellow of the Asian Pacific Islander Community Leadership Institute's cohort one. Nguyen-Truong continued her work in part three of the Vietnamese Women's Health Project with AFC, was a member of APICLI's Steering Committee, and was appointed co-chair of IRCO AFC's advisory board in 2015. Her duties included discussing funding, programs, and the future of AFC. Nguyen-Truong was also a professional nurse and nurse educator at OHSU in Portland. In the summer of 2015, she accepted a position at the Washington State University College of Nursing.

Lyn Tan was born on October 1st, 1964 in Singapore, to Singaporean parents. She identifies herself as Singaporean nationality-wise, Peranakan in terms of ethnic culture, and, because of these identities, she is comfortable with Chinese-based cultures as well. Tan grew up in Singapore and left to attend the University of Oregon in 1983 at age 19 to study film theory and aesthetics and journalism in public relations and advertising. After college, she returned to Singapore and worked for an international airline until permanently moving to Oregon in 1991.Upon this return to Portland, she studied at Portland State University and eventually started as a SUN site manager for a middle school. After a lot of moving around within her job description and duties, Tan currently works as the program manager for Student and Support Services for Education Success where she works with coordinating the programs they oversee and writing grants.

Author: Natalia Fernández, Avery Sorensen, and Chris Petersen

Asian Family Center Oral History Collection, 2014-2016

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