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Oral history interview with Felix Songolo, 2018 February 10
Overview of the Collection
- Interviewee
- Songolo, Felix (Felix Uredi Faraja), 2000-
- Title
- Oral history interview with Felix Songolo
- Dates
- 2018 February 102018-02-102018-02-10
- Quantity
- 95.5 megabytes, (1 online resource (4 audio files (1 hr., 43 min., 11 sec.))) : MPEG-4
- Collection Number
- SR 12289
- Summary
- Oral history interview with Felix Songolo conducted by Sankar Raman on February 10, 2018, for The Immigrant Story. Songolo, the son of refugees from the Democratic Republic of Congo, immigrated to the United States with his family at age 4. They settled in Portland, Oregon, in 2004.
- 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
Felix Songolo was born in Lusaka, Zambia, in 2000. His family had fled violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo a few years earlier. In 2004, his family was approved for resettlement in the United States, and they immigrated to Portland, Oregon. He graduated from De La Salle North Catholic High School in 2018 and became a student at Georgetown University.
Content DescriptionReturn to Top
This oral history interview with Felix Songolo was conducted by Sankar Raman on February 10, 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, Songolo discusses his family background, the reasons his parents fled the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1997, and his early life in Lusaka, Zambia. He then talks about immigrating to the United States in 2004 and settling in Portland, Oregon. Hetalks about his siblings and his early education in Portland. He discusses the Catholic charities that facilitated his family's settlement in the U.S., as well as his own involvement in the Catholic Church. He talks about his parents' careers; describes his experience as one of only a few black students in his classes; and discusses his cultural and ethnic identity, as well as some of the discrimination he experienced. He speaks at length about his middle and high school education at Catholic schools. He discusses experiences in the eighth grade that helped him to become more comfortable with his African heritage and to take his education seriously. He then speaks at length about his education as De La Salle North Catholic High School; applying for college; and playing soccer. He talks about his plans for college at Georgetown University, his volunteer work on behalf of immigrants and refugees, and scholarships he has applied for. He closes the interview by talking about his thoughts on the American Dream.
Use of the CollectionReturn to Top
Preferred Citation
Oral history interview with Felix Songolo, by Sankar Raman, SR 12289, 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 Felix Songolo, "Something To Be Proud Of" by Rebekah Hildebrandt, was based on this interview and published on The Immigrant Story website at https://theimmigrantstory.org/proud/
Detailed Description of the CollectionReturn to Top
Description | Dates |
---|---|
Oral history interview with Felix Songolo | 2018 February 10 |
Names and SubjectsReturn to Top
Subject Terms
- Catholics--Oregon
- Congolese (Democratic Republic)--Oregon
- Discrimination against African Americans--Oregon
- Immigrants--Oregon
- Refugees--Congo (Democratic Republic)
Personal Names
- Songolo, Felix (Felix Uredi Faraja), 2000-
Geographical Names
- United States--Immigration and emigration
Form or Genre Terms
- interviews
Other Creators
-
Personal Names
- Raman, Sankar (interviewer)