Since 2016, the Tucson Chinese Cultural Center (TCCC) has been working to establish an oral history archive to broaden its history program from insular community memory to long-term historical preservation for community members and scholars alike. This continuing oral history project is undergoing the important work of capturing the experiences of Tucson’s Chinese community and re-inserting their stories into the greater history of the Southwest. Priscila Martinez, TCCC’s resident scholar, has conducted nine life history interviews with community members as of 2022, with more interviews planned in 2023.

We would like to thank Tucson Chinese Cultural Center, The Humanities Institute’s Public Fellows Program at the University of California at Santa Cruz, and the Southwest Foundation for Historical Preservation for their generous grants that made this project possible.