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Explore stories in Northwest history through highlights from MOHAI’s collections. Search by keyword below or browse the entire online collection by entering the asterisk symbol (*). Filter your search by type of materials.

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107 results for: Southeast Asian Immigrants

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Image of Terri Mast speaking at memorial service for Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes, Seattle, June 1982
Photograph

Terri Mast speaking at memorial service for Silme Domingo and Gene Viernes, Seattle, June 1982

Terri Mast is an activist and labor leader from Seattle. She was involved in antiwar and women’s rights movements, and was an important figure in the Union of Democratic Filipinos (KDP). She helped start the Committee for Justice for Domingo and Viernes (CJDV) and led the International Longshore & Warehouse Union Local 37. As of 2022, Mast is secretary-treasurer of…
ID Number:2000.107.119.32.02
Date:1982
Image of Filipino veterans Benjamin Escano, Jose Morales, and Fidel Rubias at their lawyer's office, October 30, 1990
Photograph

Filipino veterans Benjamin Escano, Jose Morales, and Fidel Rubias at their lawyer's office, October 30, 1990

During World War II, thousands of Filipinos fought for the US armed forces, including many who suffered years of poor treatment in prisoner of war camps or who continued fighting a guerrilla war after the US abandoned the Philippines. These veterans were promised US citizenship in return, but after the war many were told they were too late to become…
ID Number:2000.107.128.04.01
Date:1990
Image of Baptist missionary Hanh Nguyen with Giu Vo and her family in their apartment, Seattle, March 1982
Photograph

Baptist missionary Hanh Nguyen with Giu Vo and her family in their apartment, Seattle, March 1982

After the Vietnam War ended in April 1975 with the fall of South Vietnam to North Vietnamese communist forces, many thousands of people from Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos fled violence and persecution in their home countries and sought refuge in the United States and elsewhere.This image shows a family of refugees in their apartment shortly after arriving in Seattle. Hanh…
ID Number:2000.107.132.14.01
Date:1982
Image of The Nguyens in their Pioneer Square grocery store, Seattle, December 28, 1977
Photograph

The Nguyens in their Pioneer Square grocery store, Seattle, December 28, 1977

Thuy-Ngan (left) and Hy-Van Nguyen came to Seattle in 1975 with their seven-month-old son. They were part of the large number of refugees who settled in the Seattle area after the fall of Saigon. Both in their 30s, they had held professional jobs in Vietnam: Thuy-Nan taught French at the University of Saigon, and her husband was an architect. Unable…
ID Number:2000.107.132.14.02
Date:1977
Image of Mau Duc and Cuc Nguyen working at New Saigon Market, Seattle, December 1990
Photograph

Mau Duc and Cuc Nguyen working at New Saigon Market, Seattle, December 1990

Mau Duc Nguyen and his family were among thousands of people who escaped from Vietnam after the fall of the country to the communists. Having been a South Vietnam naval officer, Mau was sent to a prison camp but managed to escape. After months of planning, he and his wife Cuc and their three children, plus various family members and…
ID Number:2000.107.132.15.01
Date:1990
Image of Phuong Nguyen cooking in her restaurant, Seattle, September 1978
Photograph

Phuong Nguyen cooking in her restaurant, Seattle, September 1978

Phuong Nguyen, her husband Phi-Hung Nguyen, and their seven children arrived in Seattle from Vietnam in 1975. Phi-Hung, a former university professor in art and sculpture, enrolled in a program to help him find a new job, and Phuong enrolled in a restaurant management program. By 1978, Phi-Hung was working at a professional level in graphics design, Phuong had opened…
ID Number:2000.107.132.16.03
Date:1978
Image of Thien Nguyen in his lab at UW, Seattle, October 2, 1991
Photograph

Thien Nguyen in his lab at UW, Seattle, October 2, 1991

Thien Nguyen took his first course - calculus - at the University of Washington when only eight years old, and graduated at age 15 with a degree in bioengineering. He then entered the university’s highly selective MD/PhD program that combines medical practice with scientific research. After received his MD and PhD degrees from UW, Nguyen completed a residency in Neurology…
ID Number:2000.107.132.16.05
Date:1991
Image of Tho Nguyen meeting his family at Sea-Tac airport, Seattle, July 26, 1983
Photograph

Tho Nguyen meeting his family at Sea-Tac airport, Seattle, July 26, 1983

After the 1975 fall of Saigon, Tho Nguyen, a South Vietnamese army veteran, spent a year in a prison camp. Once released, he and his wife Lachanh tried to escape from Vietnam, taking their four children and her mother in an overcrowded boat. One by one, the children and Lachanh’s mother died. The boat was intercepted by a Russian ship…
ID Number:2000.107.132.16.06
Date:1983
Image of Andy Padua at Pike Place Market, Seattle, May 19, 1977
Photograph

Andy Padua at Pike Place Market, Seattle, May 19, 1977

Andy Padua was a small farmer who ran a stall in Pike Place Market for more than 30 years. His stall sold onions, greens, and peppers. To his customers, Padua was known as “the Pepper Man,” due to the wide variety of peppers he grew. His peppers, winter melons, and ginger root were especially popular with Filipino and Chinese customers.…
ID Number:2000.107.137.19.02
Date:1977
Image of Thongdy family members clearing land for family farm, April 12, 1982
Photograph

Thongdy family members clearing land for family farm, April 12, 1982

This image shows five members of the Thongdy family on an 85 acre plot of land they plan to turn into a farm. The Thongdys were from Cambodia, but the brutal Khmer Rouge regime forced them to flee. The family hid in the jungles for several months before escaping to Thailand. They spent several years in a refugee camp in…
ID Number:2000.107.151.05.01
Date:1982
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MOHAI stands on the historic and contemporary lands and shores of the Duwamish, Suquamish, Muckleshoot, and other Coast Salish Nations. We acknowledge the forced displacement of Native Communities from this land while honoring the endurance of the Duwamish people who still live here.
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Phone: 206 324 1126
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