Petaluma Historic Chinatown Park Committee

05/06/2026

🎊 Happy Asian American / Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander Heritage Month 🎊

Last night the Petaluma Historic Chinatown Park Committee accepted a proclamation from The City of Petaluma - Government recognizing the month of May as AA/NH/PI Heritage Month.

At last year's proclamation we urged the City to approve Petaluma Historic Chinatown Park. Since then our committee has accomplished a great deal together.

• 🏛️ That May to July (2025) “Chinatown Unearthed: Facing the Past for a Better Future”, led by our Founder Lina Lin Hoshino and presented at the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum, demonstrated the community’s strong interest in local AAPI histories and community-rooted storytelling. The exhibit drew record museum visitors attending the exhibit and related programs featuring artists, lecturers, musicians, and community leaders.

• 🗺️ In summer (2025) we led 4 sold out walking tours of Petaluma’s historic Chinatown.

• 🏮In November (2025), we held the plaque unveiling for Petaluma Historic Chinatown Park in collaboration with 5 other organizations and had more than 300 attendees. Redwood Empire Chinese Association, AAPI Coalition of North Bay, Petaluma Historical Museum, Sonoma Vietnamese Association, and City of Petaluma.

• 🪷In February (2026), we partnered with Sonoma Mountain Zen Center for a Lunar New Year incense offering ceremony. It was a deeply moving event.

• 🐎In March (2026) our Committee Member, Libby Lok, led the Petaluma Mothers Club Lunar New Year celebration, geared towards families with children ages 0 to 5. Donations from around the community made the event bright and joyous.

• ⛏️In April (2026) our Committee Member, Dr. Chingling Wo, presented her lecture and three workshops on Chinese labor in Petaluma. Made possible by Petaluma River Park and funded by California State Coastal Conservancy.

• 🎨This month in May (2026), we will host two artists who are grantees from the 1882 Foundation as they begin developing a public art project connecting local history with national visibility.

• 📚Lastly, three 3rd grade teachers have let us know they have incorporated Petaluma’s Chinese American history into their Petaluma
history curriculum.

Our work has gone beyond remembrance, and we thank The City of Petaluma for their continued support.

🔊Coming up!🔊

We are creating a new exhibit this September (2026) at the Petaluma Historical Library and Museum - “Belongings: What We Bring, What We Leave Behind”. 🫖🧳👘🪇📷

It’s a community storytelling event and exhibit where people share meaningful objects and the stories they carry. It aims to create a safe space for local voices to be heard in different languages on their own terms. Stay tuned!

04/29/2026

04/29/2026

We hope you’ll join us Monday, May 4th!

04/07/2026

Starting next week!

Our colleague Dr. Chingling Wo will be doing a workshop series on Petaluma’s 19th century Chinese community.

Be sure to register at the QR code and share widely.

03/30/2026

We loved seeing the incredible turnout for the 3rd "No Kings" protest in Petaluma.

Historic Chinatown Park stands in solidarity with those marching for equality. 🏮✊

March 28th also marks the 128th anniversary of United States v. Wong Kim Ark (1898), the landmark Supreme Court case that secured birthright citizenship for all under the 14th Amendment.

As the ACLU prepares to defend this very right before the Supreme Court this week, we are reminded that the rights won in the past must be protected in the present.

Keep making your voices heard for our history, and for our future. 🏛️🗽

03/26/2026

Today our monument saw many young visitors! ✏️📓🚌

Ms. Rice’s third grade class from Meadow Elementary School visited the monument as part of their downtown scavenger hunt.

Exploring in small groups, the students learned about different jobs held by the Chinese community during the 1800s. 

We love seeing Petaluma Historic Chinatown Park as a classroom and place of reflection. ❤️

03/03/2026

A great opportunity for local business owners from our friends at AAPI Coalition of North Bay and The City of Petaluma - Government.

Participants Will Leave With:

*A clearer understanding of employer rights and responsibilities

*Practical, attorney-informed guidance

*A Workplace Immigration SOP packet to adapt for your business

*Greater confidence in responding calmly and lawfully

Currently spaces are available in both sessions:

Morning: 8:30–10:30 AM

Afternoon: 2:30–4:30 PM

Register here:

Morning Session: https://aapicnorthbay.org/event-6558655

Afternoon Session: https://aapicnorthbay.org/event-6562067

02/27/2026

02/23/2026

Congratulations to Dr. Chingling Wo on a powerful and deeply meaningful lecture this past Saturday!

Her talk, “Living with the Creek: Finding Chinese Labor in Petaluma, a River Boomtown,” served as an overview of her larger project series, “Feet in the Mud: Chinese Lives at Petaluma River, 1856–1910.” The lecture illuminated the often overlooked histories of Chinese laborers whose work along the Petaluma Slough, local creeks, and surrounding agricultural lands helped build the foundation of our region. Through archival research and diaspora histories, she brought humanity, complexity, and long-overdue recognition to the lives lived along the river.

We are grateful to the Petaluma River Park for supporting this important storytelling work, and proud that Chingling (Committee Member of Petaluma Historic Chinatown Park Committee and Professor at Sonoma State University) is helping our community better understand the intertwined histories of labor, migration, land, and resilience that shaped Petaluma.

We also look forward to the upcoming community workshops in the series on April 13, April 20, and April 27 from 4:00–5:30 PM in Petaluma (flyer coming soon).

02/21/2026

Our Committee Member Libby Lok will be leading a Lunar New Year celebration for the Petaluma Mother’s Club. 🎊🔥🐎

Free, open to the public, and geared towards ages 0-5.

10:15am story time
10:30-11am lion dance

Ongoing activities:
- coloring station
- book swap
- light refreshments
- indoor toddler play area
- outdoor playground

✨🐴 Ring in the Year of the Horse with PMC! 🧧✨

Join us for a joyful PMC Lunar New Year Celebration on Saturday, February 28 from 10:00–12:00 PM at the Kenilworth Teen Center. This vibrant community gathering is all about connection, culture, and celebration—for parents, kiddos, and everyone in between 💛

🎉 Highlights include:

🦁 A traditional lion dance performance at 10:30 AM, bringing energy, luck, and prosperity
📚 Storytime + book swap featuring stories celebrating Asian culture and Lunar New Year (bring one, take one!)
🎨 Simple crafts for littles & light snacks
🔴 Wear red to welcome good fortune and joy in festive style

2026 is the Year of the Horse, symbolizing strength, freedom, and fresh beginnings—what a beautiful way to start the year together as a community. All are welcome, and we can’t wait to celebrate with you!

🧨 RSVP and come celebrate with the PMC!