Oral history interview with Hamada Haaji, 2018

Overview of the Collection

Interviewee
Haaji, Hamada (Mohamed), 1998-
Title
Oral history interview with Hamada Haaji
Dates
2018
Quantity
51 megabytes, (1 online resource (1 audio file (55 min., 9 sec.)))  :  MPEG-4
Collection Number
SR 12273
Summary
Oral history interview with Hamada Haaji conducted by Sankar Raman in 2018 for The Immigrant Story. Haaji and his family left Somalia as refugees when he was 6. They were approved for resettlement in the United States in 2014 and immigrated to Clackamas, Oregon.
Repository
Oregon Historical Society Research Library
1200 SW Park Avenue
Portland, OR
97205
Telephone: 503-306-5240
Fax: 503-219-2040
libreference@ohs.org
Access Restrictions

Collection is open for research.

Languages
English

Biographical NoteReturn to Top

Mohamed "Hamada" Haaji was born in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1998. When he was 6 years old, his family sought refuge in Egypt. They lived in a refugee camp for a few years, and then moved into an apartment in Cairo. In 2013, his family applied for refugee status, and they were approved for resettlement in the United States in 2014. They settled in Clackamas, Oregon, where Haaji attended David Douglas High School.

Content DescriptionReturn to Top

This oral history interview with Hamada Haaji was conducted by Sankar Raman in 2018. The interview was recorded for The Immigrant Story, an organization that documents and archives the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States. In this interview, Haaji discusses his early life in Somalia and the move to a refugee camp in Egypt when he was 6, and then to an apartment in Cairo two years later. He then talks about his life in Cairo, including education, his social life, and learning Arabic. He talks about his experience during the Arab Spring protests of 2011. He then discusses the process of being resettled in the United States and adjusting to life in Clackamas, Oregon. He discusses his education in Clackamas, including learning English. He closes the interview by talking about his plans for college and the future.

Use of the CollectionReturn to Top

Preferred Citation

Oral history interview with Hamada Haaji, by Sankar Raman, SR 12273, Oregon Historical Society Research Library.

Restrictions on Use

Joint copyright for this interview is held by the Oregon Historical Society and The Immigrant Story. Use is allowed according to the following statement: In Copyright – Educational Use Permitted, http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC-EDU/1.0/.

Administrative InformationReturn to Top

Acquisition Information

Gift of The Immigrant Story, July 2020 (Lib. Acc. RL2020-018).

Bibliography

An article about Hamada Haaji, "Fighting for a Better Life" by Keven Salazar, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/fighting/

Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top

Names and SubjectsReturn to Top

Subject Terms

  • English language--Study and teaching--United States--Foreign speakers
  • Immigrants--Oregon
  • Refugee camps--Egypt
  • Refugees--Somalia

Personal Names

  • Haaji, Hamada (Mohamed), 1998-

Geographical Names

  • United States--Immigration and emigration

Form or Genre Terms

  • interviews

Other Creators

  • Personal Names
    • Raman, Sankar (interviewer)