The individuals interviewed from the Chinese American community during STOCKTONSpeaks! were:
Wong Family:
Wong Family
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Wong Family: Nancy Wong (Elder)
May Lin
Nancy Wong was born in Ung Hong village, Toy San District, China, to a restaurant owner and housewife. Growing up, Nancy felt like a child who did not know much about the world. When Nancy was seven, her mother left Nancy and her younger brother to travel to the U.S. Nancy and her brother Donald, were left with their grandmother. At age nine, her grandmother sent her to school. When Nancy was 15, her mother returned to China with three sisters and four brothers for which Nancy was to care. This began her adulthood in her mind…
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Wong Family: Violet Chan (Middle)
Jacob Lethbridge
There was hardly a time growing up when Violet Chan did not have responsibilities. As a child in China, she had a major role in obtaining food for her family and caring for her mother. Later, as a teenager, she had primary responsibility for taking care of her baby brothers. Despite the duties asked of her, Violet had an underlying passion for an education and she fixed her sights on that goal…
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Wong Family: Debbie Nozuka (Youth)
Riley Buck
In October 1915, a brave man left his home country of China to come to America in search of something better in “Gum San,” the land of the “Golden Hills.” Because of this man, Debbie was given the opportunity to begin her life in the U.S. This man was her grandfather. “As a family, people share a unique bond, ” Debbie explains. “Even though I cannot communicate well with my…older relatives because of a language barrier, I cherish and value the time I spend with them…”
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Wong Family: John Wong (Elder)
Christina Tran
In 1932, at the age of 15, John Wong and his family received news of a terrible tragedy—the death of his mother. John was the oldest of 10 children, and with this news, his world changed. He took on new responsibilities; he worked to be a good example for his siblings, and helped instruct them as a parent would. The death of his mother made him feel more like an adult because he became the second parental figure, along with his dad. The passing of his mother left a painful reminder that his childhood had ended abruptly and his adulthood was to begin…
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Wong Family: Sandra Won (Middle)
Oksana Ivashchenko
Growing up in a close-knit Chinese family, Sandra Won had a happy upbringing with parents who didn’t impose adult roles on her. They made sure that she had time to be a child, to play and to experience a wide variety of activities. Her entrance into adulthood was gradual and, in her mind, was marked by a variety of ordinary events in her life…
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Wong Family: Kecia Won-Jones (Youth)
Tucker Corriveau
Growing up, Kecia Won-Jones experienced a plethora of cultures. She is Chinese, but was born and raised in a multi-cultural America. Though she is a third generation Chinese American, she feels a strong connection to her ethnic past. On the other hand, she confesses that her parents were assimilated into American culture, and that she has lived only in this country. Kecia likes to think she has the better of two worlds. Kecia is grateful for the opportunity to celebrate her cultural traditions as well as those of others. Navigating diversity has been one of her paths to maturity…
