The pieces appearing in this issue are based on three of the talks given in the University of Washington’s 2024 History Lecture Series, “Seattle and the Salish Sea: Building and Belonging.” (The entire series comprised five lectures by members of the UW history faculty; two were committed for publication elsewhere and do not appear here.) The title for the lecture series provides immediate clues to some of the ways in which our regional histories have changed in recent years. Invoking the Salish Sea appeals to the fact that our concepts of historical geography have blurred national boundaries in favor of transnational spaces, while the series’ subtitle speaks to the work that goes into constructing identity as residents of a community often intolerant of newcomers. Readers will find both of these elements present in the essays that follow.