San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Lean in and learn more about Women’s History Month
Around the world, March is celebrated as Women’s History Month. On International Women’s Day, Wednesday, March 8, and throughout the month, you can honor women by exploring this year’s official theme: “celebrating women who tell our stories.”
Why not visit a local establishment where the roles of women are in the spotlight? For example, March 21 is recognized as “Rosie the Riveter Day,” and the East Bay’s World War II Home Front National Historical Park honors the women who built battleships and planes. It’s open to the public from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily.
Elsewhere this month, the Bay Area has a wide variety of lectures, outdoor activities and other events focused on women. Here’s The Chronicle’s guide to celebrating women in March.
Spirit Rock Live: Monday Evening Community Meditation and Dharma Talk
For more than 35 years, the Monday night sitting group at Spirit Rock meditation center has been a welcoming refuge to gather in community, listen to talks and practice meditation. Currently online only, each program includes a 30- to 40minute guided meditation and a dharma talk. March will feature female instructors for three of the four Mondays. March 6: Ruth King; March 20: Pawan Bareja; March 27: Dawn Mauricio.
7:15-9:15 p.m. March 6, 20 and 27. Free-$18, sliding scale; registration required. Online event. 415-488-0164. spiritrock.org
International Women’s Day Sail on San Francisco Bay
Join the annual sail in celebration of International Women’s Day aboard a reconstructed tall ship, the Schooner Freda B, and learn a bit about prominent women in Bay Area history, including Sally Stanford, Janis Joplin, Lotta Crabtree and Julia Morgan.
5 p.m. Wednesday, March 8; 1:15 p.m. Saturday, March 11. $99, reservations required. Schooner Freda B, Sausalito Yacht Harbor, Slip 465, Sausalito. 415-331-0444. sfbayadventures.com
National Geographic Women Explorers Celebrate International Women’s Day
Join five female explorers as they share their work in rainforest conservation, citizen science, ethnobotany, and the environmental impacts of deep-sea mining. Oceanographer Katlin L. Bowman, astrobiologist Julia DeMarines, geographer/ethnobiologist Maria Fadiman, photographer Kathy Ho, and sociologist Lyra Tyson will discuss how shared knowledge can empower us to protect the natural world.
5:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 8. Free, reservations required. Canopy Jackson Square, 595 Pacific Ave. S.F. 415-684-7471. canopy.space
On Rewriting the Story of
Black Women’s Bodies
Dietician/author Jessica Wilson will discuss her latest book, “It’s Always Been Ours,” with Danielle Drake, dean of the California Institute of Integral Studies. Wilson aims to reframe the politics of body liberation, centering the bodies of Black women in cultural discussions of self-image, food, health and wellness.
6-7:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 8. Free-$10, vaccination proof, masks and registration required; live-stream viewing available on the CIIS YouTube channel. California Institute of Integral Studies, 1453 Mission St., S.F. 415575-6175. ciis.edu
Golden Thread Productions Presents: ‘What Do the Women Say? Fighters for Freedom’
An evening featuring Middle Eastern women fighting injustice through their art. The program will include Persian vocalist Marjan Vahdat, Iraqi filmmaker/activist Lujain Jo, Syrian soprano Lubana Al-Quntar, and Her Story Is, a collective led by independent female writers and artists from the U.S. and Iraq. A conversation between the artists and the audience will follow the presentations.
7 p.m. Wednesday, March 8. $20-$100, reservations recommended. Brava Theatre Center, 2781 24th St., S.F. 415-626-4061. goldenthread.org
SHEroes 2023
The SHEroes program of the U.S. Pan Asian American Chamber of Commerce recognizes women who persevered despite difficult circumstances during the pandemic, when women across the globe collectively lost more than a trillion dollars in wages. Small business entrepreneurs, diversity, equity and inclusion champions and others will be celebrated at an afternoon awards ceremony and lunch.
11 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Thursday, March 9. $75-$100, reservations required . 333 Market St., S.F. uspaacc-west.com
Nightlife: Unladylike Start
Women’s History Month with an evening program featuring a cocktail hour and history discussion. Animation and stop-motion art by Shayna Yasuhara will offer a scientifically silly look into the California Academy of Sciences’ past. With Institute for Biodiversity Science and Sustainability program manager Kel Larkin and IBSS graduate student Chelsea Connor; seaweed print art activity; live planetarium shows; food and beverages for purchase and more.
6-10 p.m. Thursday, March 9. $20.25, reservations recommended. 21 and older. California Academy of Sciences, 55 Music Concourse Drive, Golden Gate Park, S.F. 415-379-8000. calacademy.org
Gillian Laub and Maya Benton in Conversation: The Art of Visual Activism
Photographer Gillian Laub, whose exhibition is on view at the Contemporary Jewish Museum, will join Contemporary Jewish Museum curator Maya Benton in a discussion about her work, making art in a time of polarized politics and rising antisemitism.
2-3:30 p.m. Sunday, March 12. Included with museum admission. 415-655-7800. Contemporary Jewish Museum, 736 Mission St., S.F.
From Chief Justice to PPIC President: Tani Cantil-Sakauye’s New Challenge
Tani Cantil-Sakauye made history when she became the first Asian-Filipina American and second woman to serve as California Supreme Court chief justice. Join a moderated conversation with the former justice, who recently became president and CEO of the Public Policy Institute of California.
6-7 p.m. March 21. $25, reservations recommended. The Commonwealth Club, 110 The Embarcadero, S.F. 415-597-6705. commonwealthclub.org
Transforming the Arts: What’s New in the Bay Area
Northern California Women’s Caucus for Art president Priscilla Otani moderates a panel discussion featuring female leaders in the arts. Guest speakers will include S.F. Ballet’s artistic director Tamara Rojo and Executive Director Danielle St. Germain-Gordon; and S.F. Philharmonic founder/director Jessica Bejarano. A social hour and winetasting event featuring femaleled wineries and vintners from around California will follow.
5-7:30 p.m. March 23. $10-$30, reservations recommended ; livestream viewing options available. Taube Family Auditorium, 110 The Embarcadero, S.F. 415597-6705. commonwealthclub.org
Women Act for Reproductive Justice: Women’s Foundation California Benefit
A reception and panel discussion moderated by Women’s Foundation California CEO Surina Khan. Panelists include Dream Youth Clinic founder/medical director Aisha Mays, author/researcher Diana Greene Foster, and Santa Clara University law Professor Margalynne Armstrong. Includes a screening of the film adaptation of Annie Ernaux’s “Happening.” Proceeds will support reproductive justice organizations in California.
7-9:30 p.m. March 25. $125, reservations recommended Brava Theatre Center, 2781 24th St., S.F. 415-641-7657. brava.org
HERstory: S.F. Public Library Women’s History Month Series
In its monthlong spotlight on women’s achievements through programs for adults and youth, you can attend author talks and panel discussions, exhibitions, book club events and film screenings, and engage in interactive programs to build female strength and solidarity.
Through March 31. Free. At various S.F. Public Library branches, S.F. 415-557-4400. sfpl.org
S.F. Public Library presents: Glen Park Women Hall of Fame Exhibition
Join Glen Park Neighborhoods History Project founder Evelyn Rose at an opening reception of a history exhibition featuring women of San Francisco’s Glen Park district. Learn about Glen Park’s legacy of women who strove to make a difference in their local communities and beyond. The installation will be on view through March.
Opening reception 6-8 p.m. Wednesday, March 1. Through March 31. Glen Park Branch, S.F. Public Library, S.F. 415-5574400. sfpl.org