Black Lives Matter Poster
Credit: California State Library - Sutro Library
The exhibit by the Sutro Library, the San Francisco branch of the State Library, is part of the State Library’s commemoration of Women’s History Month.
The exhibit features handmade signs carried by marchers in the Bay Area and Sacramento, and is part of the library’s collection of more than 380 posters, photos and ephemera from the march. The Sutro Library started one of the earliest collections of Women's March materials and today has the largest collection of posters carried by marchers in California, according to Mattie Taormina, the Sutro Library’s director.
The march, held on January 21, 2017, took place in cities and town across the U.S. as well around the world, and is widely considered to be the largest single-day demonstration in U.S history. The exhibit can be viewed on Google Arts & Culture. These handmade signs carried by marchers reflect a cultural and political moment, much of it in reaction to the election of Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, and also in support of gender equality, civil rights, and other social justice issues.
“It was thrilling to don my pink hat and join millions of women across the country and around the globe for the January 2017 Women’s March, the largest single day protest in U.S. her-story. Now, as the newly elected vice chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus in 2021, I’m honored and proud we are co-sponsoring this WOMEN’S MARCH online exhibit. We gathered then to fight for women’s rights and gender and racial equity and continue to do so today,” said Sen. Nancy Skinner, vice chair of the Legislative Women’s Caucus.
“It’s important to remember women’s history doesn’t end with suffrage. This collection of the Sutro Library helps us remember that and, as part of Google Arts & Culture, it can now be available to everyone – scholars, students and the public, to learn more about this her-storic moment” said Greg Lucas, State Librarian of California.
Since its launch in 2011, Google Arts & Culture has worked closely with museums, foundations, archives, and others—from Carnegie Hall to the Musée d'Orsay in Paris to the British Museum in London. Without leaving home, the world can experience the collections of more than 2,000 museums and other cultural heritage institutions like the State Library. It’s an immersive way to explore art, history and the wonders of the world. It is accessible everyone online, digitally preserved for future generations.
About the State Library: Founded in 1850, the California State Library has an extensive collection of documents from and about the state’s rich history, ranging from books, maps, miners’ diaries, newspapers, and periodicals to photographs, paintings and posters. The State Library also holds federal and state publications, is home to the Bernard E. Witkin State Law Library and the Braille and Talking Book Library, and serves as the lead state agency for libraryrelated services throughout California.
Source: California State Library
