The Bay Area has been at the forefront of the fight to foment political change, pushing for the rights of those communities that have been marginalized by government policies and the public at large.

In the 1960s there was the Berkeley Free Speech Movement, the I-Hotel in Manillatown eviction struggle, the Occupation of Alcatraz by the Indians of All Tribes (IAT) group, and the San Francisco State University protests which lead to the establishment of the first college of Ethnic Studies in the United States.

Protests by San Francisco AIDS activists in the 1980s brought attention to those struggling to live with HIV/AIDS; protesters petitioned the government through direct action to provide resources and services to those afflicted with the illness.

At a new exhibition at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, the regalia of the Occupy movement–iconic photo images, posters and video from around Oakland and San Francisco–will be on display in conjunction with older work from these earlier social movements.

For more information about the exhibition visit www.ybca.org/occupy-bay-area

• Tag: Occupy, yerba buena center for the arts