As part of the campaign for Kala Bagai Way, the Berkeley City Council received letters of support from a variety of sources. Some excerpts:
Corrina Gould, Confederated Villages of Lisjan/Ohlone:
“When the opportunity to participate in the Shattuck Avenue name change came up, the Tribe wholeheartedly supported the name change to Kala Bagai Way, because we want to acknowledge that there have been, and continue to be, people who come to our territory, who have faced and resisted oppression, and whose stories should be lifted up and remembered.”
Rani Bagai, Kala Bagai’s granddaughter:
“Berkeley residents may have driven Kala from the city a century ago, but this street naming would be a homecoming. It would be a way to not only address the hurt that she and others like her must have felt being pushed out, but a way to honor her for the positive force she ended up being for her community as she organized with neighbors and new immigrants, choosing to ignore hate, and focus on inclusiveness, friendship, and our global commonality.” (read her full op-ed)
Liam O’Donoghue, East Bay Yesterday:
“…the current lack of Berkeley streets named after Asian Americans in a city that prides itself on diversity is an unfortunate situation that should be remedied immediately.…naming the street after Bagai would be an opportunity to confront one of the more shameful aspects of Berkeley’s past — this city’s history of racial housing discrimination. Although the kind of overt discrimination that Bagai faced is now illegal, more subtle forms of racism continue to plague the Bay Area’s housing market, which is all the more reason to shine a light on this history in order to learn from past mistakes.”
Samip Mallick, South Asian American Digital Archive:
“I write on behalf of the South Asian American Digital Archive (SAADA) to share our excitement about the proposal to rename two blocks of Shattuck in honor of Kala Bagai, a pioneering immigrant woman who helped shape the South Asian community in California.…Feeling trapped and without a country to call his own, Kala’s husband committed suicide in 1928, leaving behind his wife and three young sons…And yet she continued on, becoming a pillar in the South Asian community in California…Kala’s story is a reminder of the tangible human impact of immigration policy, and the resilience and strength of the immigrant spirit. Renaming the two blocks of Shattuck in Kala Bagai’s honor would not just be an opportunity to address a historical absence, it would also be a sign to young South Asian Americans that they have a place in America’s story yesterday, today, and tomorrow.”
Asian and Pacific Islander Americans in Historic Preservation:
“Her story is a powerful example of resilience and resistance in the face of oppression. Kala Bagai was a pioneer, the first in a long line of Indian immigrant women and community leaders. She represents stories of empowerment, community engagement, and resilience as a South Asian American, as a woman of color, as an immigrant, and as a member of the Sikh faith community.”
Chris Carlsson and LisaRuth Elliot, ShapingSF:
“We support the renaming of two blocks of Shattuck Avenue for Kala Begai…Her story, with roots during the WWI-era efforts of local Indian immigrants to launch an independence movement against British imperialism in San Francisco (and the West Coast more generally), highlights the horribly racist immigration policies that were developed and implemented AFTER her family arrived and began a new life as American citizens.…I can think of few more appropriate ways to help shine a bright public light on a range of complicated histories than by renaming the street, and amplifying the saga with historic markers and explanations. At this time of out-of-control xenophobia and race-baiting, highlighting the generations-long saga of an immigrant family from South Asia that crisscrosses and overlaps our own tangled local histories, will be an important act of deep recognition and an honest attempt at reconciliation across the decades.”