Sylvia Bernstein | |
---|---|
Born | Sylvia Walker November 6, 1915 |
Died | November 23, 2003
Washington, D.C., U.S. | (aged 88)
Education | George Washington University |
Occupation | Civil rights activist |
Spouse | Alfred Bernstein |
Children | 3, including Carl Bernstein |
Sylvia Bernstein ( née Walker; November 6, 1915 – November 23, 2003) was an American civil rights activist. [1] [2]
Sylvia Walker was born on November 6, 1915, to immigrants from Russia. She attended Central High School and George Washington University. [1]
In the 1930s, she worked as secretary for the War Department. [1] In the 1940s, she and her husband were members of the Communist party; as a result, according to their son, Carl Bernstein, they were persecuted by the government. [1] When asked by congressional panels about her party involvement, Bernstein invoked her Fifth Amendment rights against self-incrimination. [1] In 1962, she worked as a statistician with Resources for the Future, an economic think tank. [1] From 1964 to 1989, she worked in the gift department at Garfinckel's. [1] She then worked for the Bill Clinton administration where she answered the correspondence of first lady Hillary Rodham Clinton. [1] She was an active Democratic party member and was a member of Women Strike for Peace protesting nuclear weapons and the Vietnam War. [1] She helped to desegregate District eateries, the Glen Echo amusement park and public swimming pools and playgrounds. [1] She also campaigned on behalf of Julius and Ethel Rosenberg, who were executed in 1953 for espionage. [1]
Walker was married to Alfred Bernstein, a union activist. They had three children: journalist Carl Bernstein, Mary Bernstein, and Laura Bernstein. [1] [3]
Sylvia Bernstein died aged 88 on November 23, 2003, in Washington, D.C. [1]