Year Two San Francisco Experience

Join us in learning about the history and culture of the Japanese American community in San Francisco. During a walking tour of Japantown, we will explore the history of WWII and Japanese incarceration and migration. We will visit local businesses and historical sites which make up the beautiful and resourceful Japanese American community.

San Francisco (and its surrounding areas) are home to pivotal people and spaces in Black History. We will explore the significance of, and relationship between, Black Power and Play. Specifically, we will examine the how the Black Power Movement influenced the 1968 Olympic Boycott. We will learn about civil rights activists like Harry Edwards, the architect of the 1968 Olympic Boycott and the chair of the Olympic Project for Human rights, who made significant contributions toward liberation and justice. Additionally, we will explore the legacy of "Black power and play" and its influence on contemporary calls for racial justice.

The Castro District has been a hub of community and activism for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) people for more than 50 years. We'll explore the neighborhood's role in addressing social issues from the 1960s to the present day. After visiting the site of the Compton Cafe Uprising (which happened two years before the Stonewall Uprising), we'll visit Pink Triangle Park (which memorializes the LGBTQ+ victims of the Nazi Holocaust). Afterwards, a tour of the Pride Walk will highlight the racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of the LGBTQ+ communities. The tour will conclude with a visit to the GLBT Historical Society museum, which has the original rainbow flag created by Gilbert Baker in 1978.

In November of 1969, under the cover of darkness, a group called "Indians of All Tribes" occupied Alcatraz Island, the site of a decommissioned federal prison. A group of 89 men, women, and children claimed the island on behalf of North American tribes, holding the land for almost two years. James Fortier's documentary, Alcatraz is Not an Island, observes that the "takeover of Alcatraz was one of the most successful Indian protest actions of the twentieth century, fueling the rise of modern Native American activism." We will visit the island by boat, take a tour led by an individual part of the occupation, and discuss activism by Indigenous people and their civil rights gains.

The Women's Movement (also known as women's liberation or feminism) refers to a series of campaigns for reforms on issues such as reproductive rights, domestic violence, maternity leave, equal pay, women's suffrage, sexual harassment, and sexual violence, all of which fall under the label of feminism. Join us for a rich discussion of the impact of the movement in San Francisco.