Women's/Feminist histories (very much in progress)

  • [1888] Pandita Ramabai arrived in San Francisco (via the Oakland ferry) from the East Coast. She spoke to a group of about 500 society women, planned to speak at several other occasions, including the National Educational Association meeting. Chronicle has a long story about her. [SF Chronicle, July 15 1888, pg. 12, "A HINDOO WOMAN: The Arrival of the Pandits Ramabal SHE IS GIVEN A RECEPTION What She Thinks of the American Women and Their Many Customs"] [SF Chronicle, 26 July 1890, pg. 10, "PUNDITA RAMABAI: WHAT THE HINDOO IS DOING IN BOMBAY She Has but Five Child Widows and Experiences Much Difficulty"]
  • [1893-94] Jennie Sorabji "wintered" in San Francisco around 1893-1894, as she was traveling through the United States to raise money to build a women's hospital in Bombay. [Los Angeles Herald, Apr 23 1894, p 3, col 4, "Miss Sorabji Engaged"]
  • [1900] Punjabi princesses Bamba Duleep Singh and Sophia Duleep Singh arrived by ship in San Francisco, on their way to the Paris Exposition. The princesses were interviewed in the San Francisco Call. The sisters were of mixed race; their father was Indian, while their mother was German and Ethopian. Sophia Duleep Singh later went on to become a prominent British suffragette, best known for her role in the Women's Tax Resistance League — a feminist Indian princess story!
  • [1910] Approximately fourteen year old girl Kanta Chandra moves to the Bay Area from Delhi, to be with her elder brother, who had studied at UC Berkeley.
  • [1916] High school student Kanta Chandra becomes the first South Asian woman to apply for US citizenship, indicating her race as "white" (she didn't receive citizenship until 1969)
  • [late 1910s] Kala Bagai and her family try to move to Berkeley, and are pushed out. Many more details on her Wikipedia page.
  • [1927] Rukmini Arundale's first visit to East Bay, with her husband. They stayed in Alameda at 927 San Antonio, perhaps with Theosophist friends, and they would give lectures at Ebell Hall. The newspapers asked her about American women's fashion; she's fine with short dresses, but doesn't like excess makeup or uncomfortable clothes. ["Indian Princess Will Visit Oakland With Her English Husband of 7 Years," Oakland Tribune, Sep 13 1927, p.37] ["Princess Like Styles in U.S.," Oakland Tribune, Sep 16 1927, p. 30]
  • [1932] Rukmini Devi Arundale's second visit to the Berkeley area, with her husband George Arundale, staying 10 days at the home of George Friend. On their visit, they're interviewed talking of their relationship, but also passionately talking about their work in the Indian freedom movement. The Trib has a nice photo of them. ["Brahman Wife of Romantic Marriage Tells Happiness," Oakland Tribune, Aug 31 1932, p. 6]
  • [1948] Rukmini Arandale visits again, finally identified as co-founder of Kalashetra. ["Attend Church Services Tomorrow," Oakland Tribune, Sep 04 1948, p. 5] ["Baptist Church Will Hold 69th Annual Convention Here This Week," Oakland Tribune, Sep 5 1948, p. 11]
  • [1952] Rukmini Arundale's final visit, where she really comes into her own. Newspapers refer to her as a feminist, a member of Parliament. ["India Feminist to Speak in SF," The Berkeley Gazette, Sep 25 1952, p. 6] ["Between the Commercials," The Berkeley Gazette, Oct 6 1952, p. 8]
  • [1970s?] boona cheema starts at BOSS
  • [1991 ★] Narika was founded in Berkeley
  • [1993 ★] The UC Berkeley-based Women of South Asian Descent Collective publish the groundbreaking anthology Our Feet Walk the Sky: Women of the South Asian Diaspora, featuring about 100 articles by 65 South Asian American authors with roots in India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Nepal, Burma, and Afghanistan. The book came out of a 1991 class at UC Berkeley. WOSAD members included Sheela Bhatt, Preety Kalra, Aarti Kohli, Dharini Rasiah, Latika Malkani. [WOSAD and the book at Aunt Lute books]
  • [2000 ★] Lakireddy Bali Reddy's sex and labor trafficking led to the founding of ASATA, the Alliance of South Asians Taking Action. This is best described in "Local and Global Divided: Transnational Exploitation against South Asian" by Sujatha Jesudason, chapter 17 of Body Evidence: Intimate Violence Against South Asian Women in America.
  • [2003 ★] South Asian Sisters' Yoni Ki Baat project, a South Asian women's response inspired by the Vagina Monologues, launched. First show was at UC Berkeley in 2003. Many subsequent shows have been at the Women's Building.