Oral history interview with Belise Nishimwe, 2019 June 10

This oral history interview with Belise Nishimwe was conducted by Elanya Yussen on June 10, 2019. The interview was recorded for The Immigrant Story, an organization that documents and archives the stories of immigrants and refugees in the United States. Erin Weisensee was also present and occasionally contributed to the interview.

In this interview, Nishimwe discusses her early life in Portland, Oregon, including her education, her love of reading, and making friends. She also talks about how her parents have adjusted to life in the United States, particularly their experience with the language barrier. She speaks about her cultural and ethnic identity, including her family background in Burundi, foods she grew up with, and languages she speaks. She talks about racism she experienced and how she internalized it at a young age. She revisits the topic of her education; talks about how her sister inspires her; and describes the cultural significance of her family's names. She speaks at length about her love of poetry, publicly performing her poems, and her participation in the Oregon Poetry Out Loud competition. She then describes her trip to Washington, D.C., in 2019, to participate in the national Poetry Out Loud competition. She closes the interview by talking about her accomplishments and her plans for the future, and by sharing advice for other young people and immigrants.