The veteran was one of the last from the famed Japanese American “Go For Broke” regiment
Yoshio “Yosh” Nakamura has died at age 100. The longtime art teacher, school administrator, activist and World War II hero was born in Rosemead and lived in Whittier when he died on November 22nd.
Yoshio Nakamura speaking at the Japanese American National Museum in 2024Credit: Photo courtesy Japanese American National Museum
Some people spend their whole lives helping others find the best that’s inside them; this writer will never forget spending an afternoon with Yosh and one of his former students, LeRoy Schmaltz, at an art fair several years ago. Schmaltz had made his name in the 1950s and 60s, carving tikis for Disneyland, Don the Beachcomber and hundreds of shops and restaurants at his shop Oceanic Arts. The octogenarian carver had long since slowed down so I was surprised when he introduced his energetic friend Yosh as a former teacher who had inspired his art and become a lifelong friend. It seems like Nakamura had that effect on almost everyone he met.
“From the very beginning he was a humble, gracious leader who offered unwavering support and kindness,” Teresa Dreyfuss, president of Rio Hondo College, tells Los Angeles. “Yosh embodied the values we hold dear, and his legacy of compassion, service and integrity will continue to inspire us.”
Japanese-American infantrymen of the 442nd Regimental Combat Team hike up a muddy French road in the Chambois Sector, France, in late 1944Credit: Photo by Army Center for Military History
The lifelong San Gabriel Valley resident was a teenager when Japan attacked Pearl Harbor in 1941. He remembered his history teacher reassuring him that American citizens of all ancestry were protected by the Constitution, but nonetheless, Nakamura and his family were among the 120,000 Japanese and Japanese Americans rounded up and sent to internment camps. “It was demoralizing,” Nakamura told a reporter in 2020. “To be blamed for something you didn’t do, just because of how you look.”
The Nakamura family was living at Gila River Camp in the Arizona desert when Yoshio enlisted in the United States Army, ending up in the famed 442nd Regimental Combat Team, united under the “Go For Broke!” motto. He, like many other incarcerated Americans of Japanese descent, was eager to prove their allegiance to the United States.
More than 30,000 Japanese Americans enlisted in the military, and the famed 442nd, an almost entirely Japanese American infantry regiment, became the most decorated unit of its size in U.S. military history. The 442nd fought in battles that ultimately broke the Nazis’ last line of defense in Northern Italy. They have been honored with a monument in Little Tokyo, their story was dramatized in a 1951 film by MGM and in 2021, the United States Postal Service honored the group with a Forever stamp. Nakamura was awarded the Bronze Star for his service. In 2011, he received the Congressional Gold Medal.
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Yoshio Nakamura teaching art at Whittier High School in 1960Credit: Photo courtesy Whittier Public Library
Nakamura married another artist, Grace Shinoda Nakamura, and the pair were together for 67 years, advocating for education and the environment. Nakamura is survived by three children, Linda, Daniel and Joel.
While stationed in Italy, he discovered his love for art and delved into the works of Michelangelo, Da Vinci, and Raphael. Following the war, Nakamura studied art in Florence, Italy, and at USC under renowned artists including Glen Lukens and Francis de Erdely. By 1952, he was teaching watercolor and oil painting at Whittier High School, where he would eventually lead the department. He became one of the first employees of the new Rio Hondo College in Whittier in 1963 and stayed with the school for decades. Nakamura became Rio Hondo’s very first dean of fine arts. The Fine Arts building at Whittier High School and the gallery are named for him. Nakamura’s artwork is in the collections of the Guggenheim Museum and the Smithsonian Institution.
Yoshio Nakamura at Rio Hondo CollegeCredit: Photo Courtesy Rio Hondo College
“Yosh Nakamura was a true American hero,” Mitch Maki, President and CEO of the Go For Broke National Education Center tells Los Angeles. “He demonstrated his true patriotism and loyalty to our nation despite the fact that his family and over 120,000 Japanese Americans were wrongfully incarcerated during World War II. He believed in America’s Promise – the promise that in our nation no one is to be judged by the color of one’s skin, the nation of one’s origins, or the faith that one chooses to keep. We lost a hero, a kind human being, and a friend.”
Yoshio Nakamura at 2024 Nisei Week festivitiesCredit: Photo by Mark/Flickr
On a recent sunny Sunday, smells swirl by the front door of Whittier Cafe.
Streams of spicy smoke waft from lit powdered incense, slightly sweet popcorn lays on a woven serving tray and roasted coffee beans gurgle in a clay pot called a jebena.
All the while, Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel gives spectators a play-by-play.
“Some people just know when the coffee is going to bubble up,” Birhanemaskel said, leaning over the jebena’s long spout with a watchful eye, waiting to catch the eruption of brewed goodness into another pot. “It really is a competition with the moms of whose daughter makes the best coffee. So, don’t be the one who lets it spill everywhere.”
The roasted beans that Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel has prepared for her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Birhanemaskel is in the middle of the cafe’s weekly East African coffee ceremony, a tradition where friends, family and more gather to gossip, provide life updates and enjoy each other’s company.
It’s a tradition seeped in community connection, an idea that stems back to why Birhanemaskel opened the cafe to begin with.
Whittier Cafe is celebrating its 11th year
The cafe — found in the Whittier neighborhood at 1710 E. 25th Ave. — serves up African coffee, teaches cultural lessons on the beans and provides a third place.
“We’re here 11 years going strong, busier than ever,” Birhanemaskel said. “It’s really amazing how much support we get and it’s all because of our local community … It’s still a real neighborhood spot where people come and talk to each other, which really isn’t a thing anymore.”
Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel sends roasting smells through her coffee shop during her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Talking to strangers and being a neighborhood staple is at the heart of her business, Birhanemaskel said.
When the cafe opened, Whittier was still a predominantly Black neighborhood. But change was stirring.
Gentrification, Birhanemaskel said, is a violent process, but it’s also like a flower blooming — slow, until all of sudden you look around and things are different.
Black-owned businesses were closing left and right. For the cafe to survive, Birhanemaskel said the shop had to create a space where all people could connect, no matter their disagreements.
“We had to figure out how can we get people to still connect with each other and not feel like it’s us versus them,” Birhanemaskel said. “How do we show a part of the community that is often invisible … How do we get some of those folks to open up and understand who’s coming into their community … How do we get people who are new here to recognize and get to know their neighbors who have been here forever.”
Years later, Whittier Cafe has become an almost “neutral” ground spot where all sides can meet for a drink and (somewhat) relate. Birhanemaskel wishes she knew how it happened.
‘Neutral’ doesn’t mean apolitical, however.
The cafe isn’t nicknamed the “activist’s coffee shop” for nothing.
Birhanemaskel said she’s always going to stand up and speak her mind. Social justice is at the root of her core.
The cafe is currently boycotting Ethiopian coffee beans in light of the Tigray War. The shop was home to the local Black Lives Matter chapter. Different political candidates and leaders have used the space to pitch their platforms. At one point the bathroom housed all types of protest signs.
All of this has come at some cost. Someone sprayed hateful rhetoric on their fence. At one point, Birhanemaskel said her employees’ tires were being slashed (which she paid to fix). A dead pig was found in the alleyway, “which I didn’t get,” Birhanemaskel said.
Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaske walks through her coffee shop. May 26, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
“If somethings wrong, somethings wrong. You shouldn’t be afraid to speak or stand up regardless of whatever the consequences,” Birhanemaskel said
But ultimately, Birhanemaskel said, if you can’t have these types of chats in a coffee shop, where all kinds of people converge for caffeine and pastries, where else can you have it?
“We’ve done some controversial things, which to me aren’t controversial. We’ve said things that have really offended people. And well, if you can’t be in a coffee shop, if you can’t have that conversation in this space, then we’re doomed. Where else are you going to have that space,” Birhanemaskel said. “Maybe we can’t change anything, but can we at least see each other?”
Teaching is also at the core of Whittier Cafe
When Birhanemaskel set out to open the coffee shop, her plan was simply to teach people about coffee.
Many don’t know that the continent of Africa produces about 12 percent of the overall worldwide production of coffee, Birhanemaskel said. Specifically, Ethiopia and Uganda are listed in the top 10 countries producing coffee beans.
The beans that Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel will roast for her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Not only that, coffee was first discovered in Africa. According to the National Coffee Association, legend has it that a goat herder named Kaldi discovered the beans. He noticed that after his goats would eat certain berries, they’d get so energized they would refuse to sleep at night.
The herder told a monk about his discovery. The monk made a drink out of it and felt the same energetic burst. Thus, coffee was born.
Whittier Cafe uses beans from Uganda, Kenya, Rwanda and Tanzania. They also serve African beer.
“I was so frustrated that everything you hear about Africa was always negative,” Birhanemaskel said. “There’s plenty of negatives to talk about and plenty of problems, but what I was frustrated about was that every day you literally start your day with a little piece of Africa and you don’t even know it … That’s why I started the coffee shop. I wanted people to know there’s some beautiful stuff over here too.”
Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel puts on her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
The focus on teaching is also why Birhanemaskel hosts the weekly coffee ceremonies.
The ceremony is done every day back home, sometimes multiple times a day, depending on if guests stop by, Birhanemaskel said.
The ceremony is rooted in family. Regardless of age, or whether you even drink coffee, everyone is present for the serving. It provides space for family members to connect and catch up.
Usually, the women in the family perform the ceremony. Mothers, aunties and grandmothers pass on the tradition. Birhanemaskel’s mom taught her.
Here’s how a coffee ceremony works
Birhanemaskel starts by making popcorn. Typically the coffee is served with some type of food, either bread or popcorn. We got kettle corn.
Next, she begins roasting the green beans in a simple misshapen tin pot with a long handle.
“It’s funny because in this country, people will buy expensive roasters when this is like a $3 tin pot,” Birhanemaskel said. “The most important thing is to not burn your beans. That’ll completely throw off everything.”
Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel roasts beans during her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
She shakes the pot consistently to prevent the beans from burning, roasting them until they get dark and plump. Her thumb muscles are working overtime.
Crackling sounds pop up from the pot, along with a rich, almost sweet, smell as the oils burn away from the beans.
Birhanemaskel said she can’t give a time frame on when the beans are done roasting. It’s kind of a “if you know, you know” thing.
“I don’t have a good answer because when I ask my mom, she says you just know,” Birhanemaskel laughed. “She’s like, just look at it.”
The roasted beans that Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel has prepared for her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Soon, the green beans become a dark, dark brown. They, of course, aren’t burnt.
Once the beans are grinded, they’re mixed with water inside the jebena and the brewing begins.
For the ceremony, the coffee is brewed and served three times.
The first round will be the strongest. By the third serving, a guest is well beyond caffeinated. That final round is more in line with how most people enjoy their coffee strength, Birhanemaskel said.
Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel pours grounds into an urn during her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
Birhanemaskel explains all of this while keeping a close eye on the jebena. If the coffee bubbles out the spout and spills, the ancestors will laugh and the aunties will gossip.
Part of the ceremony is allowing the coffee to bubble up three times. Each time, Birhanemaskel catches the brew in the misshapen tin pot and pours it back into the jebena.
After the third bubbling, Birhanemaskel removes the jebena from the fire and prepares for the pour.
She lays out all of the cups, pouring a good amount of sugar in each. (“The coffee is really strong,” Birhanemaskel laughs.) No milk.
For the ceremony, the goal is to fill all of the cups with one continuous pour. No spilling. The idea behind the single pour, Birhanemaskel said, is that everyone is interconnected.
Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel puts on her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
The problem is, of course, that the pot is heavy.
“You don’t know this pain unless you actually do it,” Birhanemaskel said, using one arm to hold the pot over the cups and the other to prop her pour arm up. “It’s like a weird muscle that we never use, except when we pour the coffee. You’d think I’d have a strong muscle by now.”
As Birhanemaskel approaches the last few cups, the crowd starts to cheer her on. She perseveres, completing the first round without putting down the jebena. No spills.
She hands each person in Whittier Cafe a cup, even if they weren’t watching the ceremony.
Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel shares cups with guests during her weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
It’s strong, smooth and sweet. It tastes like hard work.
Everyone in the circle nods in approval. The second and third rounds come quickly and the coffee just gets better and better.
Felix J. Lopez said he learned about the ceremony randomly. He didn’t know what time it started, and was about to leave just before it began. He’s glad he stayed.
Felix J. Lopez sips coffee prepared during Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel’s weekly ceremony. May 26, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
“My family is Mexican, so this reminds me of a very community-centric aspect that I really appreciate. It’s a pleasant surprise,” Lopez said. “I think the ritual … there’s such a simplistic beauty in it that somehow also brings so many people together. We were all strangers but it doesn’t feel that way anymore. We’ve made connections.”
And that’s the point of the ceremony. It’s the point of Whittier Cafe.
Birhanemaskel said she’s ready for the next 11 years.
She’s never wanted to expand, but if the right location presented itself, she’d consider it. Whittier Cafe is under a lease for another four years.
But Birhanemaskel said the coffee will keep coming for as long as people will have it. The cafe will always be a center for social justice.
And as far as the ceremonies go, Birhanemaskel said there is no Whittier Cafe without them.
Really, there’s no cafe without the community, she said.
“The ceremony is really about connection and community … When we do it here, we may not be blood family but we’re forming that connection,” Birhanemaskel said. “That’s what’s missing for everybody is that connection. That’s why people are so crazy all the time … I don’t see how you survive without community. It’s impossible to be healthy without community.”
Whittier Cafe owner Millete Birhanemaskel (left) embraces her childhood friend, Kimberly Johnson, as she walks into Birhanemaskel’s weekly Ethiopian coffee ceremony. May 26, 2024.Kevin J. Beaty/Denverite
A Whittier teenager who balanced his schoolwork along with being a caretaker for his ailing mother graduated from high school this weekend. He is now looking forward to pursuing a degree that will help people who are affected by the same illness as his mom.
Preston Guinto graduated magna cum laude from St. Francis High School in La Cañada and did so while caring for his mother, volunteering in his community and helping children with special needs.
“There are no amount of words that can describe how proud I am of him and all the hurdles he has jumped through this entire process,” the boy’s mother, Wendy Carrera, said.
Carrera said when her son was accepted to the college prep school, she and her husband initially had logistical concerns.
“Both my husband and I were like, ‘How are we going to do this? We live in Whittier and the school is in La Cañada,” she said.
With the support from other family members, they made it work and Guinto thrived.
“What I saw from Preston from the beginning was his earnestness,” said Dan Pelletier, a counselor at St. Francis.
Guinto, who said he immediately knew he belonged at the school, beamed as he spoke about his academic experience.
“What made St. Francis special is everything I’ve learned,” he said. “It’s helped build character and just become a better human.”
These skills served him well when his mother was diagnosed with stiff person syndrome, a rare neurological disease.
“I think for Preston, it was a little dose of the delicacy of life and not to take it for granted, it fueled his fire,” Carrera said. “He was like, ‘I’m going to give back.’”
With that, Guinto joined other high school students as part of a volunteer team that worked to build toy motorized vehicles for children born with mobility issues.
“It’s a good way for us to learn more about the mechanics of these cars, along with giving back,” the teen said.
This type of hands-on experience inspired him to select his degree in STEM.
“My mission in life is to work for a Formula 1 team,” Guinto said. “I’m a car guy and with that, comes a love for mechanical engineering, which is my major going into (Loyola Marymount University) in the fall.”
Sam Andreano is currently putting the finishing touches on his split-lot property in Whittier. He’s a guinea pig for state Senate Bill 9, a housing law that allows homeowners to divvy up their properties and build two or even four units on a once-single-family lot.
Andreano, 59, was one of SB 9’s earliest adopters. He bought a single-family home for $790,000 in 2021, split the property in half and sold the existing home on half of the original lot for $777,777 in 2023 — essentially coming out with an empty lot for a little over $12,000, around what it would have cost in the 1970s.
Then, Andreano spent around $400,000 building a home onto the back half of the original lot. He estimates it’ll be worth around $850,000 when it’s finished next month.
The project was an absolute success; Andreano added density to a single-family lot and came out well financially.
Superior Court Judge Curtis Kin determined that SB 9 is unconstitutional because it doesn’t provide housing restricted for low-income residents, which he said was the law’s stated purpose. For now, it affects five cities: Redondo Beach, Carson, Torrance, Whittier and Del Mar. But the ruling clears the way for the law — one of many designed to alleviate California’s housing crisis — to be invalidated in cities across the state.
Few took advantage of the law, especially compared with other state laws created to increase density. A study from Bay Area NPR affiliate KQED-FM found that 16 California cities — including San José, San Francisco, Long Beach and Sacramento — approved just 75 split-lot applications and 112 applications for new units under SB 9 from 2022 to 2023, while approving 8,800 accessory dwelling units during the same stretch.
Andreano thinks he knows why. He said some property owners he spoke to were hesitant to build SB 9 projects because they were afraid it would be overturned, and now their fears have come true. His project is fine because the property has already been divided, but he said others still applying will surely lose money due to the ruling.
“You have to pay the architect, the engineer and others. Then the ruling comes down saying it’s overturned, and you’re out $50,000,” he said.
Andreano was able to push his project through before the court decision because he moved quickly. He bought the Whittier property in December 2021 with the intention to split it up under SB 9 and officially started his application four months later.
The process took two years, hundreds of phone calls and tens of thousands of dollars.
The law allows a single-family-zoned lot to be split into two, and owners can build either a single-family home or a duplex on each lot, for a total of up to four units. But it requires the two lots to be split somewhat evenly, with a maximum difference of 60-40, and also requires each new lot to be at least 1,200 square feet.
Under these restrictions, the ideal properties for SB 9 are big lots with small houses. So Andreano specifically bought a property that would work well under the guidelines: a 1,200-square-foot house on a 6,232-square-foot lot. Big(ish) lot, small house.
Then he brought in an architect, which cost about $20,000; a grading engineer, which cost around $15,000; a soil engineer, which cost around $8,000; and a surveyor, which cost around $5,000. The L.A. County Fire Department did three inspections, which cost around $1,500 each, and he also spent around $3,000 on application fees.
“It was a lot of back-and-forth,” he said. “I’d submit my application, and the city would ask for revisions on A, B and C. Then I’d submit the revisions, and they’d ask for revisions on D, E and F.”
He’s in the final stages of finishing the back house, bringing the timeline of the project to roughly two years. He said it’s definitely been worth it.
The property now features two single-family homes separated by a fence: a 1,200-square-foot front house with three bedrooms and 1.5 bathrooms on a 3,349-square-foot lot, and an 1,100-square-foot back house with three bedrooms and two bathrooms on a 2,893-square-foot lot, where he plans to live. The lot-size split is 53.65% to 46.35%, well within the 60-40 restrictions.
“People want to buy houses, and this is a way to increase density while also letting people work out the details on their own,” he said.
Andreano hired Dennis Robinson, owner of Custom ADU Builder, to build the back house. Robinson has constructed seven SB 9 projects, and he’s completing seven more.
Robinson handles both ADUs and SB 9 projects and said each type has it own perks.
“ADUs are faster and cheaper, and you save around $20,000 in the permitting process alone,” he said. “But if you want to add multiple units to your property, SB 9 is better.”
Robinson was surprised when the law was overturned. He was about to break ground on a project in Long Beach, where a family wanted to expand its garage into a 1,000-square-foot home and add a unit above, but now it’s in jeopardy.
If the ruling is appealed and upheld, it would expand to affect California’s 121 charter cities, including Long Beach, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
The law was declared unconstitutional on the grounds that it didn’t provide housing for low-income residents, but Andreano said that if he had to sell or rent the home as low-income, he would’ve lost money.
“That affordability factor makes sense for a 100-unit condo, where a developer can set a few units aside for low income, but it doesn’t work for an individual home,” he said. “The goal for SB 9 should be to add housing in order to make the market more affordable in general.”
Authorities have arrested a 22-year-old driver on suspicion of attempted murder for allegedly plowing his vehicle into Los Angeles County sheriff’s academy recruits on a training run, injuring more than two dozen people
LOS ANGELES — Authorities have arrested a 22-year-old driver on suspicion of attempted murder for allegedly plowing his vehicle into Los Angeles County sheriff’s academy recruits on a training run, injuring more than two dozen people.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department said in a statement Thursday that Nicholas Joseph Gutierrez was arrested Wednesday for investigation of attempted murder on a peace officer.
Authorities have said that a man driving an SUV early Wednesday veered onto the wrong side of the road in suburban Whittier, crashing into recruits on a morning run. Five of them were critically injured.
Authorities said a field sobriety test performed on the driver was negative.
It’s not immediately known whether Gutierrez has an attorney who can speak on his behalf.
WHITTIER, Calif. — Multiple Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department recruits were struck by a vehicle early Wednesday, authorities said.
TV news helicopter broadcasts showed a large response of firefighters and ambulances in Whittier, a vehicle on a sidewalk as well as numerous individuals nearby in uniform workout clothes.
County fire senior dispatcher Martin Rangel confirmed that incident involved sheriff’s recruits but said there was no immediate patient count.
Sheriff’s Department spokesperson Deputy Grace Medrano said the incident involved a sheriff’s academy class.
Medrano said there were injuries but she did not have a confirmed number or information about the severity of the injuries.
LOS ANGELES — A driver who stole several cars, rammed police cruisers and hit other cars during an hourlong chase across Southern California was arrested after a chase that ended in smoke, flame and gunshots.
The wild chase across two counties began about 5 p.m. Wednesday with reports of a sedan speeding erratically in Anaheim in Orange County.
After a while, the driver fled that car and stole a parked van, which was captured on video smashing several times into a Fullerton police cruiser that blocked it until it managed to speed off.
The chase continued with the van sideswiping and rear-ending several cars as it sped and slid through street traffic before heading onto a freeway.
The driver later abandoned the van and ran inside a home in Whittier in Los Angeles County, stole keys to a pickup truck parked in the driveway, and took off as people in the home who had confronted him were almost struck, KNBC-TV reported.
Andres Benitez told the station that he had just returned from work.
“I was just talking to my mom and we were having a normal conversation when I saw the back door open and it’s not supposed to open,” he said. The suspect came into the kitchen.
Benitez said he grabbed a kitchen knife in order to defend his mother.
“I started redirecting him to the front door” but the man grabbed the car keys from the kitchen table. Benitez said he cornered the suspect, who had a pair of scissors, and threatened to stab him as his mother tried to hold him back.
The family and the man wound up outside, where he stole the truck and sped away.
The pickup eventually lost a front tire, but the driver continued to weave erratically through traffic in the Hacienda Heights area at high speed, hitting several cars, crossing center dividers and running red lights.
The truck ended up at a gas station after a Los Angeles County sheriff’s patrol car rammed the truck from behind.
By this point, more than a dozen patrol cars ringed the gas station but the truck still backed up and smashed into a patrol car, prompting authorities to fire several shots through the driver’s window.
Deputies with guns drawn surrounded the stopped truck as smoke erupted from it, and then flames that were quickly doused with a fire extinguisher.
At last, deputies using a special shield came up to the car, smashed the driver’s window, opened the door and pulled out the driver, who was walked to a patrol car. It was unclear whether he was injured.
Under Williams’ direction, the historic Boston health clinic has experienced massive growth; including the construction of a five-story, 78,900-square foot, state-of-the-art health facility in 2012 which now bears her name.
Press Release –
updated: May 3, 2019
ROXBURY, Mass., May 3, 2019 (Newswire.com)
– – Frederica Williams, CEO and President of the Whittier Street Health Center (WSHC) is marking 17 years at the helm of the revered community institution, which has seen massive growth in her tenure.
“It’s been a long journey, and I am thrilled every day to be here and serve the community,” said Williams. “The mission of Whittier is my life mission as well, so it’s personal.”
Williams was the driving force behind a 10-year effort to construct the health center’s first permanent medical home. After multiple setbacks and extensive property negotiations, the ambitious project was cobbled together through William’s business acumen and determination to raise funds.
Completed in 2012, the five-story, 78,900-square foot, state-of-the-art health facility was 14 months ahead of schedule and $640,000 under budget.
In 2018, Williams was recognized for her efforts to make the now nationally distinguished health center a reality, and honored by the WSHC Board of Directors who officially named the building after her.
Since joining WSHC in 2002, Williams has received dozens of awards recognizing her work as both a woman-of-color CEO and a driving force behind Whittier’s expansion and success. This includes WSHC being named by the Boston Globe as one of the top 100 Women-Led Businesses in Massachusetts from 2014-2018.
On this anniversary Williams is also being acknowledged for her other accomplishments at WSHC, which include opening a satellite clinic on Blue Hill Avenue in Roxbury, building a 6,600-square-foot fitness center at the Tremont location, the creation of a community garden, launching a mobile health van outreach initiative, a partnership with the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and a men’s health clinic.
Williams was born in Freetown, Sierra Leone and is a descendant of the Creole (Krio) people — a melding of freed slaves, who, with help from the British government, settled in Sierra Leone after the American Revolution.
“I dedicate this recognition to my parents and pray that their legacy of service, love and social justice continue to live on in the work we do at Whittier for generations to come. The Whittier building project was a family mission with prayers and words of wisdom and encouragement from my family, and the love and support of my sons who sacrificed time with me and pitched in to support the vision for the Whittier building.”
“I am grateful to have a loyal team of dedicated colleagues at Whittier. It is the Whittier team’s care and respect for patients that make Whittier a warm and welcoming place for everyone who comes through our doors. “
Williams lived in Sierra Leone and the UK before moving to Boston in 1984. She earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the London School of Accountancy, a Graduate Certificate in Administration and Management from the Harvard University Extension School and a MBA from Anna Maria College. She lives in Boston with three sons.
The mission of Whittier Street Health Center is to provide high quality, reliable and accessible primary health care and support services for diverse populations to promote wellness and eliminate health and social disparities. The health center also provides General Dentistry, HIV Services; Laboratory; Obstetrics and Gynecology; Pediatrics/Adolescent Health; LGBTQ Clinic, Eye Care, Counseling and Substance Abuse. Whittier also runs over 40 social service initiatives addressing everything from substance abuse, violence, trauma, food insecurity, to total person holistic wellbeing. Whittier Street Health Center is a 501c3 charitable organization.
Media Contact: Jesse Migneault Phone: 617.989.3283 Email: jesse.migneault@wshc.org
