The Rainbow Sign was a space from which Black politicians and political organizations could strategize. The conference room and other smaller rooms became vital infrastructure to support Black people’s efforts as they vied for the ability to determine how their own communities would be governed.
The Berkeley Revolution
A digital archive of the East Bay's transformation in the late-1960s & 1970s
Mary Widener in Rainbow Sign Conference Room
Date: 9/9/1971
Citation:
“Rainbow Sign Opens,” The Oakland Post, September 9, 1971, 2.
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1. A New Kind of Black Arts Venue Opens (1971)
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Membership Brochure
–1973–A sixteen-page guide to this "multi-dimensional club where beautiful people meet, greet and eat"
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A Look Inside the Rainbow Sign
–May 2017–A glimpse inside the building today
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Rainbow Sign Pin
–1970s–Even in its swag, Rainbow Sign had style
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First Anniversary Brochure
–8/9/72–Rainbow Sign's greatest hits (Maya Angelou, Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln) from its first year
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Rainbow Sign Contact Sheet
–1970s –A glimpse inside the building back in the day
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Invitation to the Opening of the Rainbow Sign
–8/21/71–An invitation that connected the era of Soul back to the turn-of-the-century
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Temporary Membership Card
–September 1971–Just after Rainbow Sign opened, it used a promotion to get people in the door
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Rainbow Sign Floor Plan
–1970s–The layout
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Tuesday Menu
–1974-1975–Rainbow Sign served food for the body as well as the soul
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2. Ain't that Bad, Ain't that Black, Ain't that Fine: Performing Arts
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Nina Simone Photographs
–3/31/72–Two entrancing photos used to publicize her Rainbow Sign appearance
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Rainbow Sign Presents Nina Simone
–3/31/72–"The high priestess of soul" visits the Rainbow Sign
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Nina Simone Contact Sheet
–3/31/72–Thirty rare images of the incomparable Ms. Simone
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Rainbow Sign Presents the John Handy Sextet
–6/4/72–Handy and friends jazz up the place
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Rainbow Sign Presents Bobby Hutcherson
–9/30/72–Electric vibes at the sign
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Invitation to Black Mime Show
–4/20/74–"a black face...which portrays through corporal silence the spirit of all human experience"
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Photograph of Mardi Gras Indian
–c. 1970s–New Orleans comes to Rainbow Sign
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Odetta and Liberian Tribal Dance Company
–4/15/75–A folk legend sings for the Rainbow cause
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Jazz Festival After-Party
–6/22/76–Music from midnight until breakfast, courtesy of the Rainbow Sign's afterparty
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Nina Simone Celebrated at Rainbow Sign
–3/31/72–Rare footage of Nina Simone celebrated by Berkeley's mayor and the Urban League
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3. My Dungeon Shook and My Chains Fell Off: Literature and Liberation
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See Maya Angelou at Rainbow Sign
–4/20/72–The singer-dancer-poet-memoirist, promoting her new book "Just Give Me a Cool Glass of Water 'Fore I Die"
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Invitation to Huey P. Newton’s Book Party
–11/19/1972–The Rainbow Sign positioned itself somewhere between assimilation and revolution--but it was all Black Power
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A Rainbow of Poetry: The Berkeley Marathon
–7/1/1975–Rainbow Sign sponsored the longest poetry marathon ever, according to the Guinness Book of World Records
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Jayne Cortez at the Rainbow Sign: Berkeley ’75
–1976–A tribute, in Yardbird, to Rainbow Sign's "sisterly feeling" and Jayne Cortez's poetic wit and power
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Rainbow Sign Presents Alice Walker
–4/09/1976–Rainbow Sign was, like Alice Walker's real and imagined worlds, populated by uncompromising black women
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James Baldwin Contact Sheet
–5/3/76–Mary Ann Pollar and Baldwin appear here as comrades and co-authors of the Rainbow Sign
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4. Aunt Jemimas and Jazz Masks: A Fresh Vision for Black Art
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E.J. Montgomery
–1970s–Black Art consultant extraordinaire
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Invitation to Artist Reception for Rosalind Jeffries
–10/25/71–From West Africa to the West Coast
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Invitation to Artist Reception for Herman Kofi Bailey
–12/5/71–"The essence of Black folk the world over"
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Invitation to Artists Reception for “Black Contributors”
–1/29/72–Calling black artists near and far
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The Liberation of Aunt Jemima
–1972–The assemblage that, according to Angela Davis, marked the start of the black women's movement
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Invitation to Artist’s Reception for Dr. Samella Sanders Lewis
–4/2/72–Prints, films and lectures from a Black arts icon
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Invitation to Artists Reception for Africobra
–6/4/1972–The first exhibition on the West Coast for the "African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists"
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Invitation to Artists Reception for “IMP Dolls” Creators
–8/6/1972–"Framed doll-like figures for the young at heart"
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KPIX coverage of Rainbow Sign
–9/9/1972–Invaluable footage of the club as it celebrated Black Arts Day with an Elizabeth Catlett exhibition
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Invitation to Elizabeth Catlett Exhibition
–9/10/72–"the Black artist has a chance others don't to get out of the copout, freakiness and commercialism"
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Invitation to Artist’s Reception for Larry Walker
–11/26/1972–The perfect holiday gift?
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Invitation to Artists Reception for John F. King
–6/9/74–Hearts, Spades and Infinity
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Depicting Black Struggle
–4/11/1975–Elizabeth Catlett's art "celebrates her cultural heritage and protests her people's persecution"
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5. A Closed Fist is Very Strong: City Politics, American Politics
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Mary Widener in Rainbow Sign Conference Room
–9/9/1971–Like many local black leaders, Warren Widener and his took advantage of Rainbow Sign's rentable community space
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Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm Covers Weighty Subjects
–10/30/1971–Chisholm and Mary Ann Pollar: women unbought and unbossed
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Contact Sheet: Shirley Chisholm on the Campaign Trail
–10/30/1971–The Rainbow Sign was a magnet for powerful black women with integrity such as Chisholm
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Bowker Bumsout Blacks
–1/29/1972–When the Cal administration installed its own chair of Afro-American Studies, dissenters went to the Rainbow Sign to strategize
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Mayor’s Proclamation of Nina Simone Day
–3/31/72–On the occasion of Nina Simone's concert at Rainbow Sign, Mayor Widener honored both the singer and the club
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83 Black Mayors Feted Here
–6/16/1973–Local black residents certainly benefited from meeting black leaders, but the benefits went both ways for politicians seeking support
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Mary Ann Pollar invited by Black Women Organized for Action
–11/29/1973–Mary Ann Pollar helped develop strategy to secure economic opportunities for local black women
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High school senior thanks Mary Ann Pollar
–1973–A high school senior and budding artist credited her graduation partly to help from the women of Rainbow Sign
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Depicting Black Struggle
–4/11/1975–Elizabeth Catlett's art "celebrates her cultural heritage and protests her people's persecution"
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6. Look About You, Think About This: Education Pending Revolution
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Girls Holding Rainbow Sign balloons
–1970s–Children were key to Rainbow Sign's project--the next generation had to love and be loved
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Bowker Bumsout Blacks
–1/29/1972–When the Cal administration installed its own chair of Afro-American Studies, dissenters went to the Rainbow Sign to strategize
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“Obvious Communication”-Betye Saar, Arthur Moore, and Cleveland Bellows
–2/3/1972–A meeting of the minds for Black Arts Day
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Photographs of Dance Class at Rainbow Sign
–1973–Groove lessons from an international professional
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High school senior thanks Mary Ann Pollar
–1973–A high school senior and budding artist credited her graduation partly to help from the women of Rainbow Sign
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The Rainbow Sign Can Use Some Help
–4/18/1975–With Nina Simone's help, Mary Ann Pollar clarified the Rainbow Sign's educational mission
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7. For the Love of People: The Players Who Made the Rainbow Sign
