Omega Dancel Oral History

This was my second time interviewing Omega Dancel. The first was for another oral history project that aimed to capture the stories of Asian American students and alumni at the University of Iowa that you can find here. In that first interview with her, she told me about being a part of a theatre troupe in college that brought children stories from Asia to life for the residents of Coralville and Iowa City. It is amazing to see that thread continue in this oral history interview. As one of the four women that organized Coralville’s Asian Fest, Omega Dancel talks about how the rise of racism agaisnt Asians during the COVID-19 pandemic nationally inspired her and her friends to actualize their ten-year long vision of organizing a festival to celebrate Asian culture here in Coralville.