Around 1850, S’Klallam Tribal members made up about 40 percent of the Port Townsend population and the main village was located here.
Later, around 1900, about 25 percent of the population of Port Townsend was Asian and there was a large Chinatown downtown.
Those communities were eventually forced to move elsewhere and, according to the last census, the Port Townsend population is 93.4 percent white.
How can we encourage and possibly attract a more diverse population?
The LGBTQ population has demonstrated how.
A few years ago, a parade followed a city proclamation recognizing Gay Pride Month.
And the LGBTQ celebration has grown each year.
How to encourage diversity?
Start with doing what Port Townsend does best.
Hold street fairs and celebrate diversity.
The city usually issues proclamations recognizing Gay Pride Month, Indigenous Peoples’ Day and Black History Month, but it usually ends with the proclamation.
We should issue proclamations, but we should also celebrate the special dates such as Indigenous Peoples’ Day, Pride Month, Black History Month, Cinco de Mayo, Chinese New Year and for other cultures.
It would be great to have cultural food, arts and crafts, music and movies during street fairs to experience and learn about different cultures, building on what Centrum and the Film Festival already do.
Celebrating and learning about other races and cultures would be wonderful and educational, especially for our youth.
It might even attract a more diverse population.
Robert Gray
Port Townsend