The Green Hope High
Asian American Oral History Project
Politicians who lead us. Officers who protect us. Teachers who shape us.
Asian Americans fill a range of diverse and vital roles in our community, offering us many lessons about our past, present, and potential futures. Here, you will find stories centering Asian Americans in the Triangle and highlighting the ways we are all connected to the broader world.
Green Hope High School is 38% Asian American, yet Asian American voices are often marginalized in our classroom curricula. The Asian American Oral History Project is an effort to help students develop their abilities to communicate, think critically, collaborate, and be creative while gathering and sharing stories about the Asian American experience in the Triangle.
Students volunteered to gather oral histories and incorporate them into Green Hope classes. Students began background research over summer of 2023 and in the fall the Southern Oral History Program at the University of North Carolina led a training on theory and practice. Meeting regularly, students collaborated in identifying, contacting, and interviewing narrators from our community. Students transcribed and analyzed their narratives, connecting individual experiences to broader themes such as American Identity, Migration, Culture, Work and Entrepreneurship, and Politics. Finally, students collaborated with Green Hope teachers to bring Asian American studies into diverse classes, demonstrating initiative, determination, and resourcefulness as they completed this project.
Students hope this work can continue to grow at GH and beyond.
APPLY HERE to be a part of this project in the 2024-5 school year!
Asian Americans fill a range of diverse and vital roles in our community, offering us many lessons about our past, present, and potential futures. Here, you will find stories centering Asian Americans in the Triangle and highlighting the ways we are all connected to the broader world.
Green Hope High School is 38% Asian American, yet Asian American voices are often marginalized in our classroom curricula. The Asian American Oral History Project is an effort to help students develop their abilities to communicate, think critically, collaborate, and be creative while gathering and sharing stories about the Asian American experience in the Triangle.
Students volunteered to gather oral histories and incorporate them into Green Hope classes. Students began background research over summer of 2023 and in the fall the Southern Oral History Program at the University of North Carolina led a training on theory and practice. Meeting regularly, students collaborated in identifying, contacting, and interviewing narrators from our community. Students transcribed and analyzed their narratives, connecting individual experiences to broader themes such as American Identity, Migration, Culture, Work and Entrepreneurship, and Politics. Finally, students collaborated with Green Hope teachers to bring Asian American studies into diverse classes, demonstrating initiative, determination, and resourcefulness as they completed this project.
Students hope this work can continue to grow at GH and beyond.
APPLY HERE to be a part of this project in the 2024-5 school year!
In the 2023-24 school year, student participants compiled over 600 transcript pages from over 30 interviews.
The Word Cloud above was generated using excerpts from Oral Histories selected as most impactful by student interviewers. The publicly available transcripts can be accessed here or via the link below.
The Word Cloud above was generated using excerpts from Oral Histories selected as most impactful by student interviewers. The publicly available transcripts can be accessed here or via the link below.
Connecting our Community to the World
Below, you'll find all the locations mentioned in the gathered Oral Histories.
Narrators from the Triangle shared connections to 130 locations around the country and world, illustrating the importance of global awareness and education. Causes, effects, and potential resolutions of gaps illustrated have been discussed by students, and show the need for future growth.
Narrators from the Triangle shared connections to 130 locations around the country and world, illustrating the importance of global awareness and education. Causes, effects, and potential resolutions of gaps illustrated have been discussed by students, and show the need for future growth.
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Asian Americans in the Triangle source
"We all have the pride of country and pride of culture,
but all of us belong to the world." -Oral History narrator |
Connecting Green Hope High to Asian American Studies
The Director of Asian American Studies at the University of Maryland, Janelle Wong, came to Green Hope High and presented an introduction to her subject area to over 120 students. Afterwards, she spoke with AAOHP members about their ongoing work. This event was a result of of our ongoing dialogue with the UNC Asian American Center. The Green Hope student newspaper wrote an article on this event which you can read here.
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"Just as when we discuss and evaluate how women and African Americans' roles have shifted in society... I also want to start considering where Asian Americans fit into the historical picture." - Student reflection |
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In 2025, Professor Dr. Esther June Kim of William and Mary generously shared her expertise in a presentation to the Oral History Project on the "Spectrum of Instructional Approaches to Teaching about Asian America." Students used her comparison of "Multicultural, Asian American Histories and Asian American Studies" to connect the narratives to our new course and broader research. You can read more here. Examples of student analysis and connections were highlighted in the 2025 Exhibit, and are shown below.
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Connecting Oral Histories to the Arts
To connect the narratives gathered by the Green Hope Asian American Oral History Project to our school and the arts, Mr. Richardson reached out to the school orchestra and choir. Together, they identified, prepared, and performed a piece that incorporated excerpts from the narratives. The AAOHP is thankful for the collaborative efforts of Orchestra teacher Ms. Lewis and Choir teacher Mr. Botwick, without whom this collaboration would have been impossible. Ms. Lewis selected the piece "Take What You Need" and arranged a virtual meeting with the composer, Reena Esmail, which 50 students attended. This was an invaluable learning opportunity for students, and we are indebted to the generosity of Ms. Esmail for her time and perspective.
Ms. Esmail spoke to this projects relevance, saying, "I didn't like history when I was a kid and it was because I just never felt like any of it applied to me," and "I never really felt that I was a part of American History- I kind of thought, 'like okay I'm just weirdo who's kind of on my own.'" She concluded by encouraging us with, "thank you for doing this- please keep me posted! I'm so happy that you found me that I get to actually engage with you."
Below: video of composer Reena Esmail's conversation with GH students
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"Doing this project is so important because we do want to feel that history is relevant to us and that we're part of it" -Composer Reena Esmail |
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In 2025, Students chose to connect the narratives they gathered to the arts with tactile visual media, specifically quilting. The excellent Fine Arts program at Green Hope gives students experience with varied forms, and students were excited to apply their skills to this project. Students also researched and drew on the rich history of quilting in Asian American History, which can be explored in greater depth here. The Tapestry on the right was created by AAOHP members Angelina Lu, Karuna Shanmugam, and Avril Yan, with contributions from NAHS members Julie Bressan and Maria Malgicheva. Guidance and support was generously provided by Ms. Poppe.
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Oral History in the Community
The Asian American Oral History Project has used their work to contribute to their community for many audiences. Students presented their work at Green Hope High School Culture Night event, left. Students were invited to share their work at feeder elementary school Horton's Creek during "Specials Night."
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Sharing our Work
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Students shared the results of the Asian American Oral History Project in a variety of ways. Students shared their work with teachers, professors, and curriculum specialists from across the state at the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies in February 2024. In September 2024, students shared their work at the Color of Education conference of the Dudley Flood Center for Educational Equity and Opportunity.
Students collaborated with Green Hope teachers to bring Asian American studies into diverse classes classes, demonstrating initiative, determination, and resourcefulness as they completed this project. In Spring of 2024, over 700 students were taught using content from this project. Examples can be seen to the right and here. Students presented their work at an exhibit in collaboration with the Orchestra concert in spring 2024. Students shared excerpts from their oral histories and curricular collaborations in front of students, parents, faculty, and local dignitaries. A student newspaper article about this event can be found here. EducationNC wrote about our project and exhibit here. Clockwise images include: Students and Mr. Richardson presenting at the North Carolina Council for the Social Studies; Journalism Curricular Collaboration; Poster of concert premiering collaborative piece with the GHHS Orchestra, video from UNC-CH; group photo at '24 exhibit. 
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How we did it - and you can, too!
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Student participants prepared in numerous ways to make this project successful. Student researched over summer before beginning the project "in earnest" in the fall to have greater context. We consulted with local organizations such as the Southern Oral History Program and the UNC Asian American Center, which were extremely helpful in providing context, support, and expertise. Dr. Sophie To, from the SOHP Southern Mix, led trainings in 2024 and '25 to introduce students into the theory and practice of Oral Histories.
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The Green Hope Asian American Oral History Project was created to explicitly address a gap in curricula relevant to our community. No doubt your own community has numerous such gaps. If you'd like help starting your own project, please reach out to [email protected] - you can do it!
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https://edopportunity.org/segregation/explorer/
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2025 Thank Yous
2024 Thank Yous