Rebecca Walker facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Rebecca Walker
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Press photo, 2003
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Rebecca Leventhal
November 17, 1969 Jackson, Mississippi, U.S.
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| Alma mater | Yale University |
| Occupation | Writer, feminist |
| Children | 1 |
| Parent(s) | Alice Walker Melvyn Leventhal |
Rebecca Walker (born Rebecca Leventhal; November 17, 1969) is an American writer, activist, and a leading voice in the Third Wave Feminism movement. She is known for using the term "third wave" in a 1992 article for Ms. magazine, where she declared, "I am the Third Wave."
Rebecca Walker's work, teaching, and speeches often focus on important topics like race, gender, politics, power, and different cultures. She travels to universities in the United States and other countries to speak about fairness for everyone, no matter their gender, race, or economic background. In 1994, Time magazine recognized her as one of the 50 future leaders of America. Her writings have appeared in many well-known publications, including The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, and Glamour. She has also been featured on TV channels like CNN and MTV.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Rebecca Walker was born Rebecca Leventhal in 1969 in Jackson, Mississippi. Her mother is Alice Walker, a famous African-American writer known for The Color Purple. Her father is Melvyn R. Leventhal, a Jewish American lawyer who worked for civil rights. Her parents got married in New York before moving to Mississippi to help with the civil rights movement.
After her parents divorced in 1976, Rebecca spent her childhood moving between two different homes. Every two years, she would live with her father in Riverdale, a mostly Jewish area in New York City. Then she would move to San Francisco to live with her mother in a mostly African-American neighborhood. She went to The Urban School of San Francisco for high school.
When she was 15, Rebecca decided to change her last name from Leventhal to Walker, which is her mother's last name. After high school, she went to Yale University and graduated with honors in 1992. Rebecca identifies as both Jewish and Black. Her 2000 book, Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self, explores her mixed heritage.
Activism and Helping Others
The Third Wave Fund
After finishing college at Yale University, Rebecca Walker and her friend Shannon Liss started an organization called the Third Wave Fund. This group helps young women get involved in activism and become leaders. Their first goal was to encourage young people to be more active in their communities. In its first year, the organization helped register over 20,000 new voters across the United States.
Today, the Third Wave Fund gives money to people and projects that support young women. The organization changed its name to The Third Wave Foundation in 1997 and continues to help young activists.
Teaching and Empowering Voices
Rebecca Walker believes that teaching can help people find their voice and speak their truth. She thinks it can change how people see things and give them the power to make the world better. She gives talks about writing personal stories, different types of feminism, and how different cultures are shown in the media. She also discusses what it means to have a mixed-race identity and new art forms.
Speaking Engagements
Rebecca Walker often speaks about her own multicultural identity and different generations of feminism. She gives talks at high schools, universities, and conferences around the world. She has spoken at many well-known schools, including Harvard, Oberlin, Smith, and Stanford.
She has also spoken to groups like The National Council of Teachers of English and the National Organization for Women. In the United States, she has appeared on popular TV shows such as Good Morning America, The Oprah Winfrey Show, and Charlie Rose.
Books and Writing
Major Works
Rebecca Walker's first big book was To be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism (1996). She collected and edited articles for this book, which looked at the feminist movement in new ways. The book shares many different ideas and experiences, showing how activists use their own stories to talk about unfairness in society. Famous feminist writers like bell hooks and Naomi Wolf contributed to this book. Many universities around the world use this book in their Gender Studies programs.
In her 2000 book, Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self, Rebecca shares stories from her early life in Mississippi. She writes about growing up with parents who were very active in the later years of the Civil Rights Movement. She also talks about facing prejudice because she is mixed-race and the challenges of living in a society with strict cultural rules.
Her 2007 book, Baby Love: Choosing Motherhood After A Lifetime of Ambivalence, explores her life as a mother to her stepson and her biological son. This book looks at motherhood through a feminist lens.
Rebecca Walker was also an editor for Ms. magazine for many years. Her writing has been published in many different magazines, including Harper's, Essence, and Glamour. She has also been featured in The New York Times and Esquire. Rebecca teaches writing workshops at international conferences and also works as a private publishing consultant.
Her first novel, Adé: A Love Story, came out in 2013. It tells the story of Farida, a college student who falls in love with Adé, a man from Kenya. Their plan to get married is put on hold when Farida gets malaria, and they have to deal with a civil war in Kenya. Many people liked the novel.
Personal Life
Rebecca Walker has a son, born in 2004, with her former partner Choyin Rangdrol, who is a Buddhist teacher. She also helped raise the son of a former partner.
Rebecca was once not close with her mother, Alice Walker, but they have since become close again. They have even appeared together at literary events.
Film Work
In the 1998 movie Primary Colors, Rebecca Walker played a character named March. The movie is based on Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign.
In March 2014, it was announced that the film rights for her novel Adé: A Love Story (2013) were bought, and Madonna was set to direct the movie.
Awards and Recognition
Rebecca Walker has received many awards for her work, including:
- The Women of Distinction Award from the American Association of University Women
- The "Feminist of the Year" award from the Fund for the Feminist Majority
- The "Paz y Justicia" award from the Vanguard Public Foundation
- The "Intrepid Award" from the National Organization for Women
- The "Women Who Could Be President Award" from the League of Women Voters
She has also received an honorary Doctorate degree from the North Carolina School of the Arts.
In 2009, The Advocate magazine included her in their "Forty Under 40" issue, recognizing her as one of the most influential media professionals. In 2016, she was chosen as one of BBC's 100 Women.
Images for kids
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Press photo, 2003
See also
In Spanish: Rebecca Walker para niños
