Houston Asian American Archive


The Houston Asian American Archive is an archive with both digital and physical presence at Rice University, for the sole purpose of scholarship. The Archive consists primarily of its oral history project of over 250 interviews, as well as exhibitions and artist residence program. The Archive is managed by the Chao Center for Asian Studies at Rice University.
HAAA is inclusive of all Asians, from East, to South, to Southwest and South Asians. In addition to conducting oral histories, the archive also collects memorabilia such as photographs, newspapers, personal papers, business records as well as recipes and artwork of the interviewees. These artifacts are stored in the Woodson Research Center at Fondren Library.

Mission

The Houston Asian American Archive was started in 2010 as a research archive focusing primarily on the collection and preservation of the life experiences of Asians and Asian Americans in the greater Houston area. The mission is to explore the varied experiences of Asians and Asian Americans in the Houston community, and to understand both the challenges they have faced and the contributions they have made.
HAAA captures all generations from all walks of life in order to create an inclusive portrayal of the Houston Asian and Asian American community, and intend this project to provide a documentary history linking these life stories to larger national, regional, and global narratives.
The Archive is managed by , Adjunct Faculty at the Humanities Department, Rice University.

Collection

The Archive consists of over 250 published digital oral histories, with a portion of the oral histories in physical format only at the Woodson Research Center, where it also preserves an ongoing collection of memorabilia and artifacts donated by participants to the Archive. Interested in documenting the histories of specific communities and organizations, the Archive also runs various categories of oral histories collections. These include a collection on the , , Asian scientists in Houston, and the COVID-19 Special Collection.

Awards

In 2018, HAAA was the recipient of the Phi Beta Kappa Society Award for Innovative Efforts to Build Community Connections through the Humanities.
In 2017, HAAA was the recipient of the from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation.

Interview Highlights