Why are there so few public monuments honoring women? Unsung Heroinesshows it’s time to claim that space!

Women are grossly underrepresented in all of the Bay Area’s public spaces, but not because they didn’t exist! Did you know about Charlotte Brown, a Black woman in San Francisco who in 1863 took the city’s transportation system to court for forcibly removing her from a streetcar, and won her landmark case? How about the first Chinese-American woman to register to vote, Clara Chan Lee, who went on to start the Chinese Women’s Self-Reliance Association? Or Barbara May Cameron, a Native American writer, photographer, and activist who co-founded the first gay American Indian liberation organization? How many other notable women who deserve public recognition have been written out of the history of our region?

Drawn from award-winning journalist Rae Alexandra’s KQED Arts & Culture series, “Rebel Girls From Bay Area History,” Unsung Heroines is a collection of 35 short profiles honoring the contributions of a diverse group of women from San Francisco, the East Bay, and the greater Bay Area, from the very first years of the founding of San Francisco to the present day. Educators and organizers, adventurers and entertainers, these inspiring women had a profound impact on our region. Together, their stories constitute a new telling of the history of Northern California from the vantagepoint of women who made a difference. A reader’s perspective will be permanently altered by the realization of just how many of these untold stories have been lost to time, encouraging them to scan their own environment for traces of women whose stories deserve to be recovered and told.

"A newspaper by and for Indigenous people. Immigrants and their descendants allowed to marry Americans. Free public toilets for women. Voting by mail. Saving the San Francisco Bay. Children getting breakfast. Children with disabilities attending school. Care for people with AIDS. Health centers. All this and more. The Bay Area would not be as civilized as it is without the brave work of the women in this book. At last, we can know them, and sing their praises."–Maxine Hong Kingston, author of The Woman Warrior: Memoirs of a Girlhood Among Ghosts

"Fascinating, engaging, thorough, thoughtful, and surprising, Unsung Heroines is an absolute treasure trove of just some of the rad women who've shaped the Bay Area and Northern California–and the nation. As a feminist history buff and lifelong Bay Area resident who's done a lot of research on the cool women who came before me, I had never heard of well over half the women profiled in this book. I'm so grateful to Rae Alexandra for teaching me–and every reader!–about them. Put this book in every classroom, office, coffeeshop, and BART train! These are stories that every resident of the region needs to know!"–Kate Schatz, author of Rad American Women A-Z

"Every story here is a unique adventure that reminds us of women's vision and bravery. The evocative portraits by Adrienne Simms make this a real celebration of these daring human rights activists who cross boundaries of time, ethnicity, and class and invite us all to join in."–Jewelle Gomez, The Gilda Stories

"Rae Alexandra proves that our greatest source of wealth is our treasure trove of stories about women who created a stir while making positive change in the world. I learned so much from this incredible book, and I gained so much inspiration and fuel for action. You'll never look at Bay Area history the same way again. Unsung Heroinesis essential reading."–Charlie Jane Anders, Lessons in Magic and Disaster

"Overlooked no more! Alexandra has unearthed the brilliant stories of 35 fascinating Bay Area women. You'll find adventure, inspiration, strength, and wisdom on every page. From the early fighters for racial equality to the Gold Rush-era women who held their own in rough-and-tumble California, Alexandra illuminates the long-lost stories of women from all walks of life. This worthy collection of biographies offers a more complete history of the Bay Area and early California. A must-read for history buffs. Educational, fascinating, compelling . . . and downright fun."–Olivia Allen-Price, author of Bay Curious: Exploring the Hidden True Stories of the San Francisco Bay Area