Aug. 26, 1970: 52 years ago, Aug 26 1970, thousands marched and left work across the Bay [...]

52 years ago, Aug 26 1970, thousands marched and left work across the Bay Area, with large rallies in San Francisco and Berkeley, as part of the national Women’s Strike for Equality which saw protests around the country, including a march of over 50,000 people in New York City

Several organizations, including the National Organization for Women (NOW), organized the day of actions through the National Women’s Strike Coalition, coordinating the strike on the 50th anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment and women winning the right to vote

With demands for 24 hour free childcare, equal access to work, and free abortion on demand, the strike coalition helped plan protests in over 100 cities across the US, calling for women to “confront your own unfinished business of equality at your office, on your job, or at home”

In San Francisco, more than two thousand rallied in Union Square. After several speeches, a few contingents split off and marched to confront businesses, including a group that picketed and stormed into the Press Club to protest their prohibition of equal access to club services

In Berkeley, the East Bay Queers and the Derby Street Women’s Commune helped organize a rally on the university campus and handed out silk-screened shirts, including a shirt with a Vietnamese woman holding a rifle that read “Women’s Strike”