Fabulous Feminist Organizations In San Francisco

Known as a city that thrives on activism, San Francisco is bursting with organizations dedicated to promoting women’s rights. Read on to learn about some of our favorite feminist organizations in the Bay Area and find out how you can get involved.

Double Union

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Double Union is a feminist hacker/makerspace formed explicitly for the self-identified women of San Francisco. This feminist community aims to provide a space for women to create — working with electronics, sewing, programming, woodworking, zine making, and more — away from the judgment and man-splaining that dominates the San Francisco tech community. The space is located in Potrero Hill and open primarily to members who have gone through an application process and pay dues, but various classes, events, and open houses are open to the public.

The Women’s Building

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Near the corner of 18th and Valencia stands a four-story building colorfully adorned with scenes of resilient women throughout history, a striking reflection of the female empowerment being nurtured inside its doors. This, one of the most iconic representations of San Francisco’s Mission District, is The Women’s Building, home to a variety of spaces and resources intended to empower the underserved women of San Francisco. The building is adorned with the famous MaestraPeace Mural and houses nine other non-profit organizations inside its walls.

NOW SF

The National Organization for Women is an American feminist organization consisting of 550 chapters spread out around the United States. This grassroots organization is the largest feminist activist community in the country, dedicated to taking action in the name of women’s rights through both traditional and nontraditional means. The organization fights most of its battles in the name of reproductive rights and justice, ending violence against women, economic justice, LGBT rights, racial justice, and the constitutional equality amendment. Keep up with the NOW San Francisco chapter by following its Facebook page.

SFWAR

San Francisco Women Against Rape is a volunteer organization that has been around for over 30 years, providing rape crisis services to survivors of sexual assault. The group aims to provide resources, support, advocacy, and education to people responding to, healing from, and trying to stop sexual violence. Services offered include peer counseling, support groups, a 24-hour hotline, and medical and legal advocacy. One of the organization’s better-known programs is the San Francisco Walk Against Rape, a 3.5 mile walk through the Mission district designed to increase awareness and education about sexual violence in San Francisco.

Bay Area Radical Women

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Radical Women is a feminist and socialist organization focused in the radical Left of the political spectrum. The grassroots organization has a number of branches in the United States and Australia, aiming to ‘train women to be leaders in the movements for social and economic justice.’ The group has been around since the 1960s, actively participating in anti-war demonstrations, anti-poverty programs, and the abortion rights movement. The Bay Area Radical Women meet in San Francisco’s Mission district, hosting a variety of events and rallies throughout the city.

About the author

Courtney Holcomb

Editor of The Culture Trip's San Francisco section, Courtney is a writer, manager, yoga instructor, feminist, and arts enthusiast. Attempting to fill her days with as much creativity and humanity as possible, she loves to explore the unique spaces and cultural happenings taking place around her, taking inspiration from them to fill these pages with topics like travel, art, literature, music, wellness, and nature along the way.