In 1971, a year after the publication of her acclaimed autobiographical novel I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou was the first Black female best-selling author and a new Berkeley resident. An article in the Daily Cal…
The Berkeley Revolution
A digital archive of the East Bay's transformation in the late-1960s & 1970s
See Maya Angelou at Rainbow Sign
Date: 4/20/72
Citation:
Bill Smallwood, "See Maya Angelou at Rainbow Sign," Oakland Post, April 20, 1972, 18.
-
1. A New Kind of Black Arts Venue Opens (1971)
-
Membership Brochure
–1973–A sixteen-page guide to this "multi-dimensional club where beautiful people meet, greet and eat"
-
A Look Inside the Rainbow Sign
–May 2017–A glimpse inside the building today
-
Rainbow Sign Pin
–1970s–Even in its swag, Rainbow Sign had style
-
First Anniversary Brochure
–8/9/72–Rainbow Sign's greatest hits (Maya Angelou, Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln) from its first year
-
Rainbow Sign Contact Sheet
–1970s –A glimpse inside the building back in the day
-
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
-
Temporary Membership Card
–September 1971–Just after Rainbow Sign opened, it used a promotion to get people in the door
-
Rainbow Sign Floor Plan
–1970s–The layout
-
Tuesday Menu
–1974-1975–Rainbow Sign served food for the body as well as the soul
-
-
2. Ain't that Bad, Ain't that Black, Ain't that Fine: Performing Arts
-
Nina Simone Photographs
–3/31/72–Two entrancing photos used to publicize her Rainbow Sign appearance
-
Rainbow Sign Presents Nina Simone
–3/31/72–"The high priestess of soul" visits the Rainbow Sign
-
Nina Simone Contact Sheet
–3/31/72–Thirty rare images of the incomparable Ms. Simone
-
Rainbow Sign Presents the John Handy Sextet
–6/4/72–Handy and friends jazz up the place
-
Rainbow Sign Presents Bobby Hutcherson
–9/30/72–Electric vibes at the sign
-
Invitation to Black Mime Show
–4/20/74–"a black face...which portrays through corporal silence the spirit of all human experience"
-
Photograph of Mardi Gras Indian
–c. 1970s–New Orleans comes to Rainbow Sign
-
Odetta and Liberian Tribal Dance Company
–4/15/75–A folk legend sings for the Rainbow cause
-
Jazz Festival After-Party
–6/22/76–Music from midnight until breakfast, courtesy of the Rainbow Sign's afterparty
-
Nina Simone Celebrated at Rainbow Sign
–3/31/72–Rare footage of Nina Simone celebrated by Berkeley's mayor and the Urban League
-
-
3. My Dungeon Shook and My Chains Fell Off: Literature and Liberation
-
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"
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Rainbow Sign Presents Alice Walker
–4/09/1976–Rainbow Sign was, like Alice Walker's real and imagined worlds, populated by uncompromising black women
-
James Baldwin Contact Sheet
–5/3/76–Mary Ann Pollar and Baldwin appear here as comrades and co-authors of the Rainbow Sign
-
-
4. Aunt Jemimas and Jazz Masks: A Fresh Vision for Black Art
-
E.J. Montgomery
–1970s–Black Art consultant extraordinaire
-
Invitation to Artist Reception for Rosalind Jeffries
–10/25/71–From West Africa to the West Coast
-
Invitation to Artist Reception for Herman Kofi Bailey
–12/5/71–"The essence of Black folk the world over"
-
Invitation to Artists Reception for “Black Contributors”
–1/29/72–Calling black artists near and far
-
The Liberation of Aunt Jemima
–1972–The assemblage that, according to Angela Davis, marked the start of the black women's movement
-
Invitation to Artist’s Reception for Dr. Samella Sanders Lewis
–4/2/72–Prints, films and lectures from a Black arts icon
-
Invitation to Artists Reception for Africobra
–6/4/1972–The first exhibition on the West Coast for the "African Commune of Bad Relevant Artists"
-
Invitation to Artists Reception for “IMP Dolls” Creators
–8/6/1972–"Framed doll-like figures for the young at heart"
-
KPIX coverage of Rainbow Sign
–9/9/1972–Invaluable footage of the club as it celebrated Black Arts Day with an Elizabeth Catlett exhibition
-
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"
-
Invitation to Artist’s Reception for Larry Walker
–11/26/1972–The perfect holiday gift?
-
Invitation to Artists Reception for John F. King
–6/9/74–Hearts, Spades and Infinity
-
Depicting Black Struggle
–4/11/1975–Elizabeth Catlett's art "celebrates her cultural heritage and protests her people's persecution"
-
-
5. A Closed Fist is Very Strong: City Politics, American Politics
-
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
-
Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm Covers Weighty Subjects
–10/30/1971–Chisholm and Mary Ann Pollar: women unbought and unbossed
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
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
-
Depicting Black Struggle
–4/11/1975–Elizabeth Catlett's art "celebrates her cultural heritage and protests her people's persecution"
-
-
6. Look About You, Think About This: Education Pending Revolution
-
Girls Holding Rainbow Sign balloons
–1970s–Children were key to Rainbow Sign's project--the next generation had to love and be loved
-
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
-
“Obvious Communication”-Betye Saar, Arthur Moore, and Cleveland Bellows
–2/3/1972–A meeting of the minds for Black Arts Day
-
Photographs of Dance Class at Rainbow Sign
–1973–Groove lessons from an international professional
-
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
-
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
-
-
7. For the Love of People: The Players Who Made the Rainbow Sign
