SAADA Spotlight

"Coming Home" Tote Bag

$30.00
Tax included.
Size Guide

Shurjo Mukhi’s artwork for “Coming Home” was inspired by the campaign that successfully renamed a section of Shattuck Avenue in downtown Berkeley as Kala Bagai Way, as shared in the “Kala Bagai” essay in Our Stories.

What's the story?

Kala Bagai was one of the first South Asian women to come to the United States in the early twentieth century. In 2020, using archival materials from SAADA, organizers in Berkeley campaigned for the city to rename a street in downtown in honor of Kala Bagai. In mid-September 2020, the Berkeley City Council voted unanimously to rename a section of Shattuck Avenue as Kala Bagai Way, and banners with her image now hang across downtown. -p. 70 of Our Stories

Read more about Kala Bagai's life in the essay "Kala Bagai" in Our Stories.
What's it made of?

• 100% certified organic cotton 3/1 twill
• Fabric weight: 8 oz/yd² (272 g/m²)
• Dimensions: 16″ × 14 ½″ × 5″ (40.6 cm × 35.6 cm × 12.7 cm)
• Weight limit: 30 lbs (13.6 kg)
• 1″ (2.5 cm) wide dual straps, 24.5″ (62.2 cm) length
• Open main compartment

SHURJO MUKHI X SAADA

Coming Home

“As one of the first South Asian women to come to the United States in the early twentieth century, Kala’s legacy lives on not just through her family, but also through the path she paved for generations of South Asian American women to come.” -p. 70 of Our Stories

Shurjo Mukhi’s artwork for "Coming Home" was inspired by the South Asian American community’s passion for having our history recognized. 

The artwork centers on the Bagai family finally “coming home” to the city of Berkeley and being welcomed symbolically after being turned away more than a century earlier.

About the Artwork