Patti Sakurai (b. 1966) has been a faculty member in OSU's Ethnic Studies department since its founding in 1996. A scholar whose interests range from Japanese American citizenship to Korean television dramas, Sakurai has also created nineteen different courses in Ethnic Studies and Women's Studies during her tenure at Oregon State. Sakurai has likewise branched out into the world of multimedia, producing documentary shorts on a variety of subjects and serving as a charter member of the production collective behind APA Compass, an Asian and Pacific American public affairs show broadcast on KBOO community radio. Her interview focuses on her scholarly evolution from English to Ethnic Studies, the history and ambitions of OSU's Ethnic Studies department, and the issues faced by communities of color at OSU today.

Life history interview conducted by Chris Petersen for inclusion in the Oregon State University Sesquicentennial Oral History Collection (OH 26), Special Collections and Archives Research Center, Oregon State University Libraries.