Want to get involved?
Image Source: Lauren McClanahan – Broadway Park
Special Presentation at April 12 Meeting
Carole Teshima, a longtime Whatcom County resident, and other members of Nikkei Northwest will join our April meeting to tell us about Bellingham’s Japanese and Japanese American community. More than 120,000 Japanese and Japanese American families were incarcerated in the United States during WWII. This presentation will give an overview of the incarceration on the West Coast and the impact on Bellingham families.
They Lost Everything – WWII and Persons of Japanese Ancestry in Whatcom County and the Lettered Streets Neighborhood: Carole will give an overview of the established Bellingham families who were forcibly removed from their homes and businesses, gave up everything, and never returned. A member of one of those families became Bellingham’s only Congressional Medal of Honor. Other members of Nikkei Northwest will be present to add to the discussion and answer questions about their own families’ unique experiences. Presenter Fumio Otsu was born in the Tule Lake Concentration Camp where Japanese families from Bellingham were also imprisoned. The overview will include a timeline for the incarceration beginning with the evacuation order by President Roosevelt in 1942 to the formal apology by President Ronald Reagan in 1988. Persons of Japanese ancestry were incarcerated in 10 concentration camps and 29 prison locations.
- When? Wednesday, April 12, 2023, 6-8pm
- Who? All Bellingham residents are invited
- Where? The Foundation Lounge, The Foundation Lounge, 1209 Cornwall Avenue
- Cost: Free, but space is limited. Register at https://theylosteverything.brownpapertickets.com/
We need volunteers!
We are looking for folks to help with new and existing programming to engage our neighborhood civically and compassionately. Do you love food sharing programs? Want to help with childcare or gardening? Interested in starting a walking tour series or hosting a political forum? Want to practice your social media & marketing skills? We would love to hear from you!
Board meetings are held every second Wednesday. See meeting calendar for dates and locations.
Check out our current board (as of February 8, 2023) and our new LSNA by-laws (adopted Mar. 12, 2019)
Email us at: lettered.streets@gmail.com
Interested members of the community are always welcome to attend any of our meetings and this is a great way to get involved! If you would like to present to our board, please email us in advance to request time on our agenda.
*****
Click here to see current City of Bellingham planning & development notices for the Lettered Streets.
(Notices for all neighborhoods can be found here.)
*****
About the Lettered Streets Neighborhood
The Lettered Streets Neighborhood is situated on the Salish Sea and the ancestral territories of the Lummi and Nooksack peoples. Early white settlers built sawmills near the mouth of Whatcom Creek in the 1850s and established the town of Whatcom, later incorporated into the City of Bellingham in 1903. Forming the first neighborhood in Bellingham, the Lettered Streets were built on bluffs overlooking the mudflats of Bellingham Bay and along the northern shore of Whatcom Creek. Today, the neighborhood has a mix of businesses and offices, schools, small parks, and single family homes and midsize apartment buildings housing over 800 households.
The Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association creates opportunities for shared learning and community building in this place we call home. We aim to build a sense of place and connection in our neighborhood. The board is composed of renters and homeowners spanning multiple generations. All residents within the boundaries of the Lettered Streets Neighborhood are considered members of the Association and are entitled to a voice and vote in organizational matters.
We welcome your participation in our informational meetings and social gatherings. Please contact us anytime at Lettered.Streets@gmail.com.
Lettered Streets Neighborhood Association 