Rebecca Walker

Last updated

Rebecca Walker
Rebeccawalker.jpg
Press photo, 2003
Born
Rebecca Leventhal

(1969-11-17) November 17, 1969 (age 54)
Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
Alma mater Yale University
Occupation(s)Writer, feminist
Children1
Parent(s) Alice Walker
Melvyn Leventhal
Website http://www.rebeccawalker.com/

Rebecca Walker (born Rebecca Leventhal; November 17, 1969) is an American writer, feminist, and activist. Walker has been regarded as one of the prominent voices of Third Wave Feminism, and the coiner of the term "third wave", since publishing a 1992 article on feminism in Ms. magazine called "Becoming the Third Wave", in which she proclaimed: "I am the Third Wave." [1] [2]

Contents

Walker's writing, teaching, and speeches focus on race, gender, politics, power, and culture. [3] [4] In her activism work, she helped co-found the Third Wave Fund that morphed into the Third Wave Foundation, an organization that supports young women of color, queer, intersex, and trans individuals by providing tools and resources they need to be leaders in their communities through activism and philanthropy. [3]

Walker does extensive writing and speaking about gender, racial, economic, and social justice at universities around the United States and internationally. [5]

In 1994, Time named Walker as one of the 50 future leaders of America. [6] Her work has appeared in publications including The Washington Post , The Huffington Post , Salon , Glamour , and Essence and has been featured on CNN and MTV. [7]

Early life and education

Born Rebecca Leventhal in 1969 in Jackson, Mississippi, she is the daughter of Alice Walker, an African-American writer whose work includes The Color Purple , and Melvyn R. Leventhal, a Jewish American civil rights lawyer. Her parents married in New York before going to Mississippi to work in civil rights. [8] After her parents divorced in 1976, Walker spent her childhood alternating every two years between her father's home in the largely Jewish Riverdale section of the Bronx in New York City and her mother's largely African-American environment in San Francisco. Walker attended The Urban School of San Francisco. [9]

When she was 15, she decided to change her surname from Leventhal to Walker, her mother's surname. [10] After high school, she studied at Yale University, where she graduated cum laude in 1992. Walker identifies as Jewish, white and Black; her 2000 memoir is titled Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self . [11]

Activism

The Third Wave Fund

After graduating from Yale University, she and Shannon Liss (now Shannon Liss-Riordan) co-founded the Third Wave Fund, a non-profit organization aimed at encouraging young women to get involved in activism and leadership roles. [12] The organization's initial mission, based on Walker's article, was to "fill a void in young women's leadership and to mobilize young people to become more involved socially and politically in their communities." [13] In its first year, the organization initiated a campaign that registered more than 20,000 new voters across the United States. The organization now provides grants to individuals and projects that support young women. The fund was adapted as The Third Wave Foundation in 1997 and continues to support young activists. In the wake of the November 2016 presidential election in the United States, the organization received more than four times the normal number of requests for emergency grants. [14]

Teaching

Walker views teaching as a way to give people the strength to speak the truth, to change perspectives, and to empower people with the ability to change the world. [5] She lectures on writing memoirs, multi-generational feminism, diversity in the media, multi-racial identity, contemporary visual arts and emerging cultures. [5]

Speaking

Walker concentrates on speaking about multicultural identity (including her own), enlightened masculinity, and inter-generational and third-wave feminism at high schools, universities and conferences around the world. She has spoken at Harvard, Exeter, Head Royce, Oberlin, Smith, MIT, Xavier, Stanford, [7] and Louisiana State University. [15] She has also addressed organizations and corporations such as The National Council of Teachers of English, the Walker Art Center, the American Association of University Women, the National Women's Studies Association, Out and Equal, the National Organization for Women, and Hewitt Associates. In the United States, she has been featured on various popular media outlets such as Good Morning America , The Oprah Winfrey Show , and Charlie Rose. [7]

Books and writing

Major works

Walker's first major work was the book To be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism (1996), which consisted of articles that she compiled and edited. The book reevaluated the feminist movement of the time. Reviewer Emilie Fale, an Assistant Professor of Communication at Ithaca College, described it: "The twenty-three contributors in To Be Real offer varied perspectives and experiences that challenge our stereotypes of feminist beliefs as they negotiate the troubled waters of gender roles, identity politics and "power feminism". [16] As a collection of "personal testimonies", this work shows how third-wave activists use personal narratives to describe their experiences with social and gender injustice. [17] Contributors include feminist writers such as bell hooks and Naomi Wolf. According to Walker's website, this book has been taught in Gender Studies programs around the world. [7]

In her memoir Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self (2000), Walker explores her early years in Mississippi as the child of parents who were active in the later years of the Civil Rights Movement. She also touches on living with two parents with very active careers, which she believes led to their separation. She discusses encountering racial prejudice and the difficulties of being mixed-race in a society with rigid cultural barriers. She also discusses developing her sexuality and identity as a bisexual woman. [18]

Her 2007 memoir Baby Love: Choosing Motherhood After A Lifetime of Ambivalence explores her life with a stepson and biological son against a framework of feminism. Walker was criticized for her stigmatizing views on biological parenthood being superior to adoptive parenthood and adoptive parents boycotted her work. [19]

Walker was a contributing editor to Ms. magazine for many years. Her writing has been published in a range of magazines, such as Harper's , Essence , Glamour , Interview , Buddhadharma , Vibe , Child , and Mademoiselle magazines. She has appeared on CNN and MTV, and has been covered in The New York Times , Chicago Times , Esquire , Shambhala Sun , among other publications. Walker has taught workshops on writing at international conferences and MFA programs. She also works as a private publishing consultant. [7]

Her first novel, Adé: A Love Story , was published in 2013. It features a biracial college student, Farida, who falls in love with Adé, a black Kenyan man. The couple's plan to marry is interrupted when Farida gets malaria and the two must struggle through a civil war in Kenya. The novel was generally well received by critics and laypeople alike. [20]

Personal life

Walker identifies as bisexual. She dated neo-soul musician Meshell Ndegeocello, whose son she helped raise even after their relationship ended. [21] [10]

She has a son (b. 2004) with her former partner Choyin Rangdrol, a Buddhist teacher. [22] [23] [24]

Once estranged from her mother Alice Walker, she has reconciled with her, and the two have since appeared at literary events together. [25] [26] [27]

Bibliography

Film

In the 1998 film Primary Colors, Walker played the character March. The movie is a roman à clef about Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign.

In March 2014, the film rights for her novel Adé: A Love Story (2013) were reported to have been optioned, with Madonna to serve as director. [29]

Awards

Walker has also received an honorary Doctorate from the North Carolina School of the Arts. [32]

Walker is featured in The Advocate ′s "Forty Under 40" issue of June/July 2009 as one of the most influential "out" media professionals. [33]

In 2016, she was selected as one of BBC's 100 Women. [34]

See also

Related Research Articles

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References

  1. ↑ "HeathenGrrl's Blog: Becoming the Third Wave by Rebecca Walker". February 28, 2007. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved December 6, 2011.
  2. ↑ Walker, Rebecca (October 27, 2011). "Anita Hill Woke Us Up". HuffPost. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  3. 1 2 "About". rebeccawalker.com. Archived from the original on July 4, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  4. ↑ Rosenbloom, Stephanie (March 18, 2007). "Alice Walker – Rebecca Walker – Feminist – Feminist Movement – Children". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331. Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  5. 1 2 3 "Speaking". rebeccawalker.com. Archived from the original on July 20, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  6. ↑ Miller, Zeke J.; Lily Rothman (December 5, 2014). "What Happened to the 'Future Leaders' of the 1990s?". Time. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved August 17, 2015.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 "Full Biography". rebeccawalker.com. Archived from the original on November 20, 2017. Retrieved April 19, 2017.
  8. ↑ Ross, Ross (April 8, 2007). "Rebecca Walker bringing message to Expo". Pensacola News Journal. Archived from the original on July 5, 2007. Retrieved April 8, 2007.
  9. ↑ "Season's Greeting from All of Us at Urban". Blues Notes. Urban School Alumni Association. December 22, 2020. Retrieved July 11, 2022.
  10. 1 2 Rosenbloom, Stephanie (March 18, 2007). "Evolution of a Feminist Daughter". The New York Times . Archived from the original on February 14, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  11. ↑ Walker, Rebecca (2000). Black, White, and Jewish: Autiobiography of a Shifting Self. Riverhead Books. ISBN   9781573221696.
  12. ↑ Bazeley, Alex (April 21, 2016). "Third-Wave Feminism". Washington Square News. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  13. ↑ History Archived October 7, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , Third Wave Foundation. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  14. ↑ "Welcome to Third Wave Fund!". Third Wave Fund. Archived from the original on March 31, 2020. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  15. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). lsu.edu. Archived (PDF) from the original on July 21, 2016. Retrieved December 19, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  16. ↑ "To Be Real". rebeccawalker.com. Archived from the original on March 27, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  17. ↑ Fisher, J. A. (May 16, 2013). "Today's Feminism: A Brief Look at Third-Wave Feminism". Being Feminist. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  18. ↑ Walker, Rebecca (2000). "Nonfiction Book Review: Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self" . Publishers Weekly . Riverhead Books. ISBN   978-1-57322-169-6 . Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  19. ↑ Krum, Sharon (May 27, 2007). 'Can I survive having a baby? Will I lose myself ... ?' . Retrieved February 24, 2024.{{cite book}}: |work= ignored (help)
  20. ↑ Schultz, Laurie. "Review: Adé: A Love Story". nyjournalofbooks.com. Archived from the original on April 20, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  21. ↑ Maran, Meredith (May 28, 2004), "What Little Boys are Made of", Salon , archived from the original on February 4, 2011, retrieved April 7, 2011
  22. ↑ Krum, Sharon (May 26, 2007). "Can I survive having a baby? Will I lose myself ... ?". The Guardian. ISSN   0261-3077. Archived from the original on March 11, 2017. Retrieved April 20, 2017.
  23. ↑ "A Conversation with Rebecca Walker » FLUX". FLUX. February 2, 2011. Retrieved June 17, 2021.
  24. ↑ "It's a Different Family Life Than Your Mother's – The Changing Composition of Families". motherhoodinpointoffact.com.
  25. ↑ "Rebecca Walker Explains Rift With Mother, Alice". NPR.org. NPR. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  26. ↑ PhD, Nsenga K. Burton (August 1, 2019). "Alice Walker: Hometown Celebrates Literary Legend's 75th Birthday". BlackPressUSA. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  27. ↑ Sneed, Shannon (July 18, 2019). "Alice Walker comes home". Eatonton Messenger. Archived from the original on August 2, 2019. Retrieved August 2, 2019.
  28. ↑ Staff (December 12, 2011). "Black Cool: One Thousand Streams of Blackness. Edited by Rebecca Walker" Archived February 14, 2012, at the Wayback Machine , Publishers Weekly.
  29. ↑ Kellogg, Carolyn (March 25, 2014). "Madonna to film Rebecca Walker's 'Ade: A Love Story'". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on April 25, 2014. Retrieved February 21, 2020.
  30. ↑ Women of Distinction Program Archived June 15, 2012, at the Wayback Machine . Retrieved June 26, 2012.
  31. ↑ NOW's First Annual Intrepid Awards Gala: Rebecca Walker Archived November 20, 2006, at the Wayback Machine . Now.org. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
  32. ↑ Dorsky, Kait. "Guides: UNCSA History: Honorary Doctorates". library.uncsa.edu. Archived from the original on November 6, 2020. Retrieved April 10, 2020.
  33. ↑ "Forty Under 40". The Advocate . June–July 2009. Archived from the original on January 16, 2010. Retrieved April 7, 2011.
  34. ↑ "BBC 100 Women 2016: Who is on the list?" Archived December 23, 2016, at the Wayback Machine , BBC News, November 21, 2016. Retrieved November 26, 2016.
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