For decades, the University of California, Berkeley has consistently been one of the most highly regarded research institutions in the world. Female leaders have played a crucial role throughout the years of awards, activism, research, critical discoveries, and high-level teaching at UC Berkeley. The university has been a part of several political and social movements, furthering the education of different communities while also making many critical scientific discoveries, such as the identification of important scientific elements. However, the women involved in these processes haven’t always been acknowledged and often have their roles forgotten. To highlight these influential women, the school has recently created a new mural featuring 41 women of UC Berkeley.
The mural is visible in the new Undergraduate Academic Building, located in the center of campus next to Dwinelle Hall. In 2024, a campus-wide research project was published by professors and directors at Berkeley in order to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the admission of women, which occurred in 2020. The same team of professors and directors also led fundraising for a potential art project, with no particular plans in mind. That project eventually turned out to be the mural. The artwork was done by a company called the Twin Walls Mural Company, hired by researchers Cathy Gallagher and Sheila Humphreys, both of whom work at UC Berkeley.
The painting highlights women in all areas and communities at UC Berkeley, including LGBTQIA+ people, scientists, women of color, artists, and more. According to UC Berkeley News, the mural’s goal was to depict all these women as people similar to current students and as hardworking women that students can look up to, not just as historical figures. Among the women painted is Annie Coker, the first Black woman to graduate from the UC Berkeley School of Law. Coker was born in Oakland and graduated from UC Berkeley School of Law in 1929. She then passed the California State Bar and was the first Black female attorney in California, spending a large portion of her career working at the California Office of Legislative Counsel in Sacramento. During her time at UC Berkeley, Coker spent many years with Ida Louise Jackson, working to establish Berkeley’s own chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha, a historically African American sorority first created at Howard University. Jackson was also the first Black person certified by the state to teach at a public school and was the first Black teacher in Oakland Unified School District.
Famous architect Julia Morgan is also painted on the mural. Morgan was the first woman to become a notable architect in California and used that license to create some of the most famous buildings in Berkeley and on UC Berkeley’s campus. One of the most famous designs by Morgan is the Greek Theater, where many Berkeley students, residents, and others go to see musical artists perform. Morgan also designed the Hearst Memorial Gymnasium and Hearst Castle.
Susan Stryker has been one of the most influential UC Berkeley alumni and one of the biggest activists for the trans community. Her portrait on the mural represents the hard work she has put in to help develop the field of transgender studies. She received her PhD in history in 1992 at UC Berkeley and then used her voice to advocate for trans people. Being transgender herself, she helped found the Transgender Nation, an activist group; wrote “Transgender History,” a book detailing the history of the transgender community; and produced award-winning documentaries about the community.
In addition to Coker, Jackson, Morgan, and Stryker, there are 37 other women who have ties to UC Berkeley, California, the Bay Area, and/or have advocated for marginalized communities. The mural, which is available to see on UC Berkeley’s Campus, encapsulates the hard work that these women have done to make UC Berkeley the highly renowned university that it is. On the official UC Berkeley website, access to comprehensive profiles about each woman displayed in the mural are available to the public, helping community members find strong female leaders whom they can relate to and be inspired by.