in their own voice

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Indigenous Voices and other People of Color

Children of the Setting Sun Productions – Stories of the Lummi and other Coastal Salish people told through film, podcasts, and other online media.

Interview with Shu-Ling Zhao – Shu-Ling Zhao talks about growing up in Whatcom County in this interview by the Whatcom Racial Equity Commission.

We Are Not Strangers – Documentary by Sikh community on their presence in Whatcom county.

Sikh history in this area – Talk given to the Whatcom County Historical Society by Satpal Sidhu (and local historian Paul Englesberg).

Unrooted Experience – The Bellingham Public Library’s digital storytelling project, which gives voice to the lived experience of people of color in this city.

Reflections from a WWU professor – An 2020 interview by the Bellingham Racial History Timeline.

Early White settlers observing or illustrating racism

Arthur Hicks – • Born 1901. Discusses racism at the college and in the wider community, including the presence of the KKK.

Charles Davis – Born 1881. Comments on people of color working in the mills and on the KKK’s early presence in the county.

Erith Hawley – Born 1895. Comments on his family’s connections to the Nooksack people and his observations about the times.

Floyd Chandler – Born 1883. Discusses a wide range of racist sentiments and actions from White settlers.

Fred Lade – Born 1887. Mentions distinct European nationalities immigrating to the area, along with Chinese people being smuggle into the area.

George Hunsby – Born 1898. Comments on Indians and Black people living and working in the city.

James Graham – Born 1900. Comments on Chinese and “Hindu” (Sikh) presence in the area and alludes to White sentiments toward them.

Olga Pattison – Born 1910.  Mentions distinct European nationalities in the area, refers to the massacre of a group of native people in the area, and comments on anti-Japanese sentiment and actions from Whites.

Roy Hamlin – Born 1901. Comments on disputes between the game warden and the Nooksack people when they fished.

Wallace Winter – Born 1905. Comments on Chinese, Japanese, and “Hindu” (Sikh) presence in the county.

Walter Scott – Born 1893. Comments on various immigrant groups and asserts there was no racism back in the day.

Dan Locke – Grew up in the 1950s and 60s in Bellingham and comments on race relations in those decades.