Oral History Program Taylor Parkinson Interviewed by Lorrie Rands 11 October 2024 Oral History Program Weber State University Stewart Library Ogden, Utah Taylor Parkinson Interviewed by Lorrie Rands 11 October 2024 Copyright © 2025 by Weber State University, Stewart Library Mission Statement The Oral History Program of the Stewart Library was created to preserve the institutional history of Weber State University and the Davis, Ogden and Weber County communities. By conducting carefully researched, recorded, and transcribed interviews, the Oral History Program creates archival oral histories intended for the widest possible use. Interviews are conducted with the goal of eliciting from each participant a full and accurate account of events. The interviews are transcribed, edited for accuracy and clarity, and reviewed by the interviewees (as available), who are encouraged to augment or correct their spoken words. The reviewed and corrected transcripts are indexed, printed, and bound with photographs and illustrative materials as available. The working files, original recording, and archival copies are housed in the University Archives. Project Description Connecting Weber: History of the Cultural Centers oral history project documents the memories and history of the various cultural centers that were open at Weber State University. These centers included the Multicultural Center (later called the Center for Belonging & Cultural Engagement), Women's Center, Native American Cultural Center, Asian American and Pacific Islander Cultural Center, Pan-Asian Cultural Center, Black Cultural Center, and the LGBTQ Resource Center. The centers were closed in July 2024 due to state legislation. ____________________________________ Oral history is a method of collecting historical information through recorded interviews between a narrator with firsthand knowledge of historically significant events and a well-informed interviewer, with the goal of preserving substantive additions to the historical record. Because it is primary material, oral history is not intended to present the final, verified, or complete narrative of events. It is a spoken account. It reflects personal opinion offered by the interviewee in response to questioning, and as such it is partisan, deeply involved, and irreplaceable. ____________________________________ Rights Management This work is the property of the Weber State University, Stewart Library Oral History Program. It may be used freely by individuals for research, teaching and personal use as long as this statement of availability is included in the text. It is recommended that this oral history be cited as follows: Parkinson, Taylor, an oral history by Lorrie Rands, 11 October 2024, WSU Stewart Library Oral History Program, Special Collections and University Archives, Stewart Library, Weber State University, Ogden, UT. iii Abstract: The following is an oral history interview with Taylor Parkinson conducted on October 11, 2024 in the Stewart Library with Lorrie Rands. Taylor shares what brought him to Weber State University from his home in Nigeria, and the importance of acceptance and community. He also talks about his feelings regarding the closing of the cultural centers on campus. Raegan Baird, the video technician, is also in the room. LR: All right. Today is October 11, 2024. We are in the Stewart Library with Taylor Parkinson, doing an oral history interview for the cultural centers. We have a title now, but I forgot to write it down. It's about 10:15 in the morning, and Raegan Baird is on the camera. I just want to say thank you for your willingness, and let's jump in with when and where you were born? TP: I was born in Nigeria in 1999, ‘90's baby. LR: Did you grow up in Nigeria? TP: Yeah. LR: I know I won't be able to pronounce it, but where at in Nigeria? TP: So, it's right in the middle. It's called Jos, Plateau State. LR: Okay. Would you spell that first part? TP: J-O-S. That's the name of the city, and then like Plateau. LR: Like a like a normal plateau? TP: Yeah, it’s the name of the state. LR: So, that's where you grew up? TP: Yeah. LR: What was your family dynamic like growing up? 1 TP: I grew up with like, my dad and my mom and my sister. There were four of us there. LR: Okay. Talk a little bit about what it was like for you growing up, your education, things like that. TP: Oh, it was fun, I guess. So, school-wise, we use the British system of school. You've got primary schools and secondary schools growing up. Secondary school, I was on and off in a boarding school, in a hostel. So, like my parents would like ship me off for about six weeks and then I'll be back for the next six weeks of the school term. It was fun. It was entertaining. A lot of good times. LR: How often, I mean, you said the primary school was—forgive me, I want to understand this. So, it's primary then middle? TP: Primary than secondary. So, our primary is going to encompasses all of middle school, elementary school. Then our secondary school is more like junior high and high school. So, kind of like combined. You have junior secondary school and senior secondary school, but they're all at the same school, rather than you go to one junior high and then you go to a different high school. LR: Gotcha. Okay, that makes more sense. So, it was your primary school that you were doing… TP: My secondary school, actually. LR: Okay, what was that like? And I know it's subjective and it's what you did, but you'd be gone for six weeks from your home environment and live in that school environment, and then you go back home. Was that like a continuous six-week thing throughout your secondary education? 2 TP: No, I think my first two years I was like in school the entire time. Then my parents kind of struggled with me not being there; they wanted me to be home more. But I kind of preferred being in the boarding school, so it was a compromise. So, six weeks on and off. Yeah. LR: Was that common then, to do the boarding school? TP: Yeah. Boarding schools are extremely common. I think almost every secondary or high school is a boarding school major. Probably like eight out of 10. LR: Okay. That’s really fascinating. What are some of your favorite memories of going to school? TP: Some of my favorite memories. I guess like just being around my friends, because like you're, it's 24/7, and it's like a bunch of young boys getting in all kinds of trouble. There's a lot of good stories just causing mayhem, I guess, a little. School-wise, actually going to like class, probably my favorite time is, they're called prep. So, they’re designated study times. We have two, there's afternoon prep and night prep. If you're not studying, you're just running around with everyone, trying to play soccer or play different games. Those are probably my favorite times in boarding school. LR: Okay. What was your home life like? That's not a very good question. What I mean by that is, what are some of your memories of just growing up? TP: At home? LR: At home, yeah. TP: Let's think. That's a good question. I do have good memories, I promise. I guess just being able to like, help my dad around in the house. We had a fairly decent- 3 sized yard. So, just helping him to work on the house, around the house, and go with my mom to shop, helping her a lot with that as well. Those were cool memories. LR: Yeah. What did your father do? TP: Well, my dad's a civil engineer. My mom was an electrical engineer, and then she retired to become a hairdresser. LR: Okay. Wow. This is a really random question, but is it common for women in Nigeria to have, coming from the culture here and looking at it strictly from that point of view, is it common then for women in Nigeria to actually have careers? TP: Yes, it is. But at the same time, Nigeria is a very—I don't want to use the word fragmented because I think that's a little too harsh. So, Nigeria is very culturally diverse, both like religiously and ethnically. You do have some people, some tribes who are more, “I would like you to stay home,” or you have like men who are more traditionalist, who they would rather have women who stay, take care. But I do think, like, it is way common for women to have like their own careers, women to be able to like do their own things. LR: Okay, that's really cool. What prompted you to come to the United States? TP: My dad's from here, actually. LR: Oh, is he? TP: Yeah, he's from Utah. LR: That came out of left field. TP: Yeah, he's lived in Nigeria for a while, for about 30 plus years now. 4 LR: Okay. Wow. So, your dad being from here, that really threw me. Left field. Did you have family here then? TP: I did, but I actually never met them till I moved here. LR: Okay. So, your dad didn't travel back and forth very often? TP: No. I think it's just like once that I remember. LR: Okay. Still, coming and meeting family that you've never met before, did you live with those family, or did you just start going to school? TP: So, a little more context. I actually served a mission here in Ogden, then I was like, I'm just going to stay here after my mission. I went home for about two weeks and just like stayed here. I was pretty much on my own from that period on. LR: Okay. Practically everyone from Utah understands what you mean when you say you served a mission, but would you be more specific? TP: Yeah. I served a two-year mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints over here. LR: Okay, and you were called to the Ogden, Utah mission? TP: Yeah. LR: Were you disappointed? TP: Not really, I was going foreign in my books. Most missionaries called from Nigeria tend to stay in Africa or in Nigeria, from what I've seen. So, I was like, “Oh, that's cool.” 5 LR: That makes sense. Growing up, were you taught a language other than what you were like, the dialect of your—I'm trying to say this right, but it's not working because I don't know what the specific… TP: Like my mom's language? LR: Right. Thank you. TP: Yeah. My mom's from the Yoruba tribe, so she tried to teach me Yoruba. I'm not very fluent in it. We also lived up north, which is predominantly Hausa. That's the other tribe there. So, I'm a lot more better, more fluent in Hausa than I am in Yoruba. We speak, I call it Nigerian Creole just for people. It's pidgin English, but it's broken English like pretty much. I can also speak that pretty well. LR: All right, and then you were taught English, I'm assuming. TP: Yeah, so Nigeria’s main language is English. That's our official language. LR: Okay. I feel like I'm getting a history lesson, and it's kind of fun. When you first came here for your mission, was there a sense of culture shock? TP: Not as much as I expected. The biggest culture shock was actually traffic. It was so organized to me. That was my biggest culture shock, but not really. I guess like since I had my dad, and I don't want to say we lived in a very Americanized way, but we did have like a lot of American influence. So, I think I adapted pretty quickly. Snow is fun. I have a great picture of me holding snow for the first time. That was fun. LR: When did you serve your mission? TP: 2017 to 2019. 6 LR: Okay. Did you have a plan after you were released from your mission? Did you want to go to school, or what was your plan? TP: No. LR: No plan? Okay. TP: I did have a plan. I did want to go to school. I was going to go play soccer. That was my thought, because I was playing for an academy back in Nigeria. I actually got an offer from one of the teams there. So, I was going to go back to go play soccer. Then towards like the end of my mission, I had two weeks, I was like, “I don't think this will be a viable career option.” Every kid and their dog wants to be a soccer player, so I was like, “I better go back to school.” That's why I'm here. LR: Okay. Besides the soccer aspect, as you were going to your primary and secondary school in Nigeria, did you have an idea of what you wanted to do? TP: Let's see, I don't know. I think I was dead set on soccer from the age of 10. But my mom was, she also was an assistant lecturer. Education was super big for her, so she was like, “Oh, doctor, lawyer, chemical engineer.” I was like, “I don't think about that.” If I wasn't going to be a soccer player in Nigeria, I think I would have gone into paleontology. I like dinosaurs. LR: That works. You kind of answered this, but your parents encouraged you to get an education? TP: Yeah. LR: That was like an important aspect of growing up? TP: Yeah. LR: Okay. So, you're back here in Ogden. I'm assuming you came back to Ogden. 7 TP: Yeah. LR: Was your plan to go to Weber State? TP: Yeah, it was the only school I applied for. LR: Okay, and where did you choose to live? On campus or…? TP: No, off campus. My first three months, a family I met on my mission contacted me, and I lived in their basement. Then after that, I had a buddy that also finished his mission and like, we're living together. We were together for about two years, just bouncing from apartment to apartment. LR: When did you start here at Weber? TP: I was registered as a student in 2020. So, my plan was originally to start as soon as I came back, but no money. I kind of like worked for two years. I think I started proper in 2022. I got registered in 2020, but I didn't take any classes for those two years because I was pretty much just working to kind of save money to get started. Then I started properly in 2022. LR: That makes sense. Did COVID play any part in those two years? TP: No, because I had been working at the hospital like the entire time. I don't think it did. LR: Okay. [To Raegan] Do you have any questions? [To Taylor] All right, you've been taking classes now for two years basically, have you had an opportunity to work on campus? TP: No. LR: Okay. What does a typical semester look like for you? 8 TP: So, I typically do full-time school and a full-time job up there at the hospital. I take about 14 to 15 credits every semester, and then I do housekeeping at McKayDee. That's about 40 to 45 hours a week. LR: That's a lot, to work full time and go to school full time. TP: Yeah, it can be. I used to do that in the summer, but last summer I was like, never again. No more summer classes. LR: Take a break from summer? TP: Yeah. LR: What has campus life been like for you? Things that you've enjoyed? Have you been a part of any clubs? TP: Yeah, I think this semester, and the last semester, it's kind of like my first semesters where I've actually try to integrate myself as a student I guess. For the most part, it has been a little non-existent, but I'm trying to change that just a little. The clubs, I think I'm in the premed club right now. Let's see, and then I'm also like part of the African Student Union I believe, ASU. That's been cool. I think most of my experience has been with them. It's been limited, but it's been with them for the most part. LR: Okay, I'm going to ask a question about that in a minute. You said you're a part of the pre-med club. Is that your major? TP: Yeah, so I just changed my major to microbiology and minor in applied math just two weeks ago. It was health sciences, but that just got changed. LR: Microbiology? TP: Yes. 9 LR: I'm grateful that it takes all types, because that my eyes glaze over just a little bit. With the closing of the culture centers happening this last July, had you had an opportunity to utilize those culture centers before they closed? TP: Yes, a couple of times last semester. I mean, it was just for activities with the African Student Union. LR: Okay, what were some of those activities, and how did they impact you? TP: The first one I ever went to was kind of like the welcome back to school social. It was cool just because it's people you have things in common with, right? I mean, Africa is a huge continent, but it's still like, it's nice to have kind of a place where you're sure you belong. It was really nice; it was really good. Then a couple weeks later they were closing. I was like, “Oh. Cool.” LR: I'm curious how, and you kind of gave a little hint there at that last statement, but how did the closing of the cultural centers impact you? What were your feelings surrounding that? TP: I wasn't really quite sure what to feel or think, because like I said, I've never really used them before. Coming from Nigeria, Nigeria is a lot like, I don't know if meritocracy is the right word, where—you know, I don't think that's the right word. But Nigeria is kind of like a place where there are not really any centers for different groups, I guess. So, I've never been really used to having like a place that is divided—or not divided, oh my gosh. A place that is meant for a particular group. I think that might be an easier way of putting it. So, I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but it was just kind of sad because we had an adviser, Maryan, 10 who like she just got started, and she sent out an email, like, hey, if anyone needs anything, let her know, she’d be at… I think it was like the Black… LR: Black Cultural Center? TP: Black Cultural Center, thank you, that's what it was. Then the next email I got from her was like, “Hey, this is going to be closing, we're going to be…” So, it was kind of I was caught in two minds, one is like apathy and the other is a little bit of sadness, just for those reasons. I am kind of bummed out that they are closed, because I do think that they are important, and it's like a great way for people to—people like me anyways—to kind of like relax, decompress, be able to meet other people who’ve had the same experiences and like kinda share them. LR: When you say people like me, are you referring specifically to your culture, Nigerian, or are you more like African students? What do you mean when you say people like me? TP: I’ll probably say African like a little more. I guess also like Black people as well, since I kind of identify a lot more with those. I just don't get those same experience, like here in Utah. Utah's like, it's such a bubble. It's a lovely place. I love Utah, I think is the greatest state in the world, in the United States, like personally. But it is a bubble where there are no—there's really not much diversity; everyone is in the same thought bubble, belief bubble. LR: Yeah, so very true. How do you think other students are reacting to the closing of the culture centers? Have you had much interaction? TP: So, in preparation for this, like the video, I was talking to like a bunch of other people, and it's ironic because like the only people who really know about it or 11 care about it are the people who use it. Most people don't even know about the bill going into place like stopping, or DEI pretty much being stricken out. I don't even think universities can use that word, that acronym anymore. LR: They can’t. TP: So yeah, mostly it's been apathy from my main friend group I guess, and the people who knew about it are the people who actually use it. They're the ones who are way more upset about it, the people who it was intended for. LR: Right. Speaking from your own experience and within your friend group, how do you envision that the closing of the centers will affect you moving forward? TP: I don't know if—this is terrible to say—I don't think it will affect me personally. I think they're cool things, but I just never really use them that much. I don't think moving forward, it will affect me. It was a nice place to like have. Also, like in the back of my mind, it was comforting to know, but sometimes I feel like I get tunnel vision with life, and so I don't really focus on everything like all what is around me. So, I don't know if that's a terrible thing to say. LR: No, it's your experience, so it's not terrible. Something that you've kind of talked about throughout this, especially in reference to the culture centers, why do you think community is important? TP: Community just means like it's a place of belonging. Like that is an essential importance of a community. Community should be able to have, everyone should be able to feel welcome in a community. I know like a community is kind of like a huge biosphere, and there are different spheres in communities, communities within communities. But for peace to exist in the overarching community, in the 12 main community, the other communities need to be, we need to be able to have that community, I guess. LR: Yeah. Before I kind of finish with my last question, I'm curious, the difference between the community you had in Nigeria and the community that’s here, is there a difference? What is that difference, and what's the impact for you? TP: So, I'm going to talk in very general terms. Nigeria is a very more welcoming place. I don't know if it's like an American thing right now where everyone seems a little bit more closed off, I guess. Nigerians are not accepting about a lot of things, but as a human being, I feel like they are accepting. They see most people as humans. I don't know, I feel that if you're ever like struggling or something, Nigerians would be there to like pick you up, one way or the other. Here, and I'm going to speak just more about Utah. It just seems like it's very clique-y, I feel like. If you don't belong in the clique, or you can't like force your way into another one, you’re just kind of like left out in the dark, looking in, like knocking on the door, but they're too busy to hear you knock. LR: Being a part of the predominant religion, do you feel that gives you an in somehow, or is there still that cliquiness? TP: Can I be honest, the answer to both of those things is yes. Being part of the predominant religion, I'm able to belong still. But even in that, there's still like cliques. It gets, in my experience, it's a little harder like the younger you are. I really am more with the older people, which is like, it's weird. I mean, I'm able to have good conversations. I'm able to hang with them. I don't know, the younger generation, I guess my generation, we're a little too also tunnel visioned as well. 13 If you're not from Utah, it's better. But if you're from Utah, it's, “These are my people. We'll see if you can get in,” kind of thing. That's what I noticed. It's interesting. LR: Okay. Is there, I mean, this has been a very quick interview, which I knew it would, but it still shocks me. I'm used to them much longer, but I didn't want to focus too much on your time outside of Weber. But is there any, because you have such a unique perspective being from a different country that I don't want to sell this short if there's more you want to talk about. Meaning, is there anything else that you'd like to share from your growing up, or from that point of view? TP: Just about how I grew up in relation to the cultural centers or just in general? LR: Yeah. TP: Let's see, I love Nigeria. Nigeria is cool. I mean, they do need to kind of come into the 21st century in some aspects, that kind of like LGBTQ, that kind of stuff. I mean, my religion also needs to be a little bit more loving, I guess. The people need to be a little more loving towards that. We may not necessarily agree with the beliefs, but we can do a lot more to see people as human beings, to support them as human beings. With both of those things, I think that's important. I don't think I have anything else. LR: That is just fine. Kind of going along with literally what you just said, what do you think we as individuals can do to foster relationships and meet the needs of the underserved communities here at Weber State? TP: The first thing that comes to my mind is empathy, but that's an idea. Your question is more of like an act, like what actions can we take, right? 14 LR: Right. TP: Well, I think like as a community, maybe we need to step out of our bubble and become more culturally competent or culturally knowledgeable, I guess. I mean, immerse yourself in cultures. It brings me to another big debate like cultural appropriation versus cultural appreciation. I believe in cultural appreciation. I think that's like a very Nigerian thing. Most Nigerians are—like, foreigners come in wearing our clothes are having our hairstyles; we're very accepting of that. I think more people just need to immerse themselves into more cultures. This is not just talking about like ethnically groups, but also like woman groups, like understand where they're coming from, try to get their point of view, as like the LGBT community as well. Once you immerse yourself in culture and you begin to have like a knowledge of that, I think you'll be better equipped to handle any like, concerns, questions you may have your way. You also kind of get rid of any fear you may have of actually like associating with these people and trying to get to know what their point of view is. LR: I really like that. Especially the part about letting go, understanding what your fears are through getting involved in and understanding cultures. I think that's an amazing way to look at things. [To Raegan] Is there anything, any other questions you can think of? All right. Well, thank you so much for your willingness. I'm appreciative. I love getting multiple points of view, so thank you so much. TP: Thank you so much for having me. 15 WEBER STATE UNIVERSITY Stewart Library ORAL HISTORY INTERVIEW AGREEMENT i_l ____ day(s) of (9 ?,- L( This Interview Agreement is made and entered into this ____ by and between the Wer State University, Stewart Library Oral History Program (WSUSLOHP) ✓ , hereinafter called "Interviewee." and ef / fl.Jr)\ Vlc.>Vl '1"'<ild l Interviewee agrees to participate in a recorded interview, commencing on or about lf>:i7a/to/n/fclJ/.ime/date, with Lo rTl:e, C\nclS This Interview Agreement relates to any and all materials originating from the interview, namely the recording of the interview and any written materials, including but not limited to the transcript or other finding aids prepared from the recording. In consideration of the mutual covenants, conditions, and terms set forth below, the parties hereby agree as follows: 1. Interviewee irrevocably assigns to WSUSLOHP all his or her copyright, title and interest in and to the interview. 2. 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