'Revive these stories': Exhibit highlights influential women in San Luis Obispo history

A special exhibition on influential women in San Luis Obispo history opened Friday evening.

The exhibit, "Hidden Voices: Influential Women in San Luis Obispo History," shares the powerful stories of women whose contributions deeply enriched the community — and that may be an understatement.

The exhibit at the History Center of San Luis Obispo County includes Alice Martin, who was one of the first black female airplane mechanics during World War II, and Stella Louis, a business owner who advocated for the local Chinese-American community.

"We want to revive these stories, these stories have long been forgotten in the history of San Luis Obispo," Zoë Levit said, who is also a graduate of Cal Poly and was one of the guest co-curators of the event. "And, so, we want the lessons and the legacy of these for women to be taken home, and to be continued on outside of these four walls."

The other two influential women featured were Maxine Lewis, a social worker who "endeavored to improve the conditions of the poor, unhoused, and underprivileged," according to a press release detailing the event, and philanthropist Nettie Sinsheimer, who, among other things, raised community awareness of the local Red Cross.

The exhibit can be viewed at the History Center of San Luis Obispo County at 696 Monterey St. in San Luis Obispo.

"We hope they take their stories home with them," Jess O'Leary, a Cal Poly history student and the other guest co-curator, said. "Learn from them, remember them."