AHS-2018-05-09-A
Interviewer
Dontavia Payne
Date of Interview
Spring 5-9-2018
Interview Location
St. Louis, MO
Length of Interview
1900-01-01
Date of Birth
2001
Gender
Female
Religion and/or Ethnicity
Muslim
Description
Born in St. Louis to parents who are both from the city of Kozorac, Family lived in the city until the outbreak of the war, During the war family lost a great uncle and many cousins, Family moved to Austria firstly since it was a close place of refuge, Brother born in Austria, Family moved to St. Louis after Austria was not viable anymore, Firstly lived in the city in a small apartment as parents attempted to start a new life, Mother cleaned hotels while father begin to drive a truck, Friends at an early age were very limited and only Bosnian, Began to speak English and Bosnian around the same time, Family uses both language around the house while grandparents on mothers side who live in St. Louis have a basic understanding of English, Family on fathers side all still live in Bosnia, Has not been to Bosnia ever due to the fact that parents have a sense that if they go it will be difficult to see all the changes, Remembers having people give her dirty looks while going to the mosque in a hijab as a child, Feels that discrimination against Bosnian is mostly centered on older Bosnian who speak little English and those who have thicker accents, Family is welcoming of everyone who is welcoming of them, Cannot understand the hate that exists in some Bosnians against African Americans, Parents do not care who she is friends with as long as those friends are welcoming of her culture, Family was forced to flee due to the war and dozens of family members were killed, Wants future generations to know that living in hate is not okay and to also treat everyone how you want to be treated, Have a positive attitude about life.
Keywords
St. Louis, Affton, Austria, Kozorac, Islam, African American, Race Relations
First Country of Residence
United States
First US Residence
St. Louis, MO
Document Type
Oral History
Collection
Affton High School
Digital Format
MP3
Digital Publisher
Center for Bosnian Studies
City
St. Louis, MO
Copyright Note
These oral histories are made available by the Center for Bosnian Studies for research, educational, scholarly, and/or creative purposes only. All uses should adhere to the principle of fair use established under Section 107 of Title 17 the 1976 Copyright Act. More on fair use is available here: https://www.copyright.gov/fair-use/.
Rights Statement
