Stew Albert facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Stew Albert
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| Born | December 4, 1939 |
| Died | January 30, 2006 (aged 66) |
| Known for | Political activism, writing |
| Spouse(s) | Judy Gumbo |
Stewart Edward "Stew" Albert (born December 4, 1939 – died January 30, 2006) was an important person in American history. He was a political activist who worked for big changes in society. Stew Albert was one of the first members of a group called the Yippies. He was also a key figure in the New Left movement during the 1960s. This movement aimed to make society more fair and peaceful.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Stew Albert was born in Sheepshead Bay, a part of Brooklyn, New York. His father worked for New York City. When he was young, Stew lived a fairly normal life. However, he did join protests against the execution of Caryl Chessman.
He went to Pace University and studied politics and philosophy. After college, he worked for a while in the welfare department for New York City.
Becoming an Activist
In 1965, Stew Albert moved from New York to San Francisco. There, he met the famous poet Allen Ginsberg at the City Lights Bookstore. Soon after, he started volunteering at the Vietnam Day Committee in Berkeley, California. This group worked to end the Vietnam War.
It was in Berkeley that he met Jerry Rubin and Abbie Hoffman. Together, they started the Youth International Party, also known as the Yippies. He also met members of the Black Panther Party, like Bobby Seale. Stew Albert then became a full-time political activist. Jerry Rubin once said that Stew was a better teacher than most professors.
Yippie Activities
Stew Albert and the Yippies did many creative and sometimes funny protests.
- They once threw money from a balcony at the New York Stock Exchange. This was to show how they felt about money and power.
- They held an "Exorcism of the Pentagon." They tried to use magic to make the Pentagon (a large government building) stop its war actions.
- In 1968, they even ran a pig named Pigasus for president! This was a way to protest the serious political system.
Stew Albert was arrested during protests outside the 1968 Democratic National Convention. He was also named as a co-conspirator in the famous Chicago Seven case. His wife, Judy Gumbo Albert, said this was because he was reporting on the events for a newspaper called the Berkeley Barb. Later, he worked closely with another underground newspaper, the Berkeley Tribe. He often lived at the Tribe's shared house when he was not traveling for political events.
Later Activism and Writings
In 1970, Stew Albert ran for sheriff of Alameda County, California. He lost the election, but he received 65,000 votes. This was a surprising result, especially since he ran against the same sheriff who had overseen his arrest during earlier anti-draft protests.
Stew Albert continued his activism in the 1970s.
- He helped Timothy Leary after Leary escaped from prison. Albert helped arrange for Leary to stay with Eldridge Cleaver in Algeria.
- He was called to testify before grand juries investigating political bombings. He was never charged in these cases.
- In the early 1970s, he and his wife sued the FBI. They claimed the FBI had illegally listened to their phone calls. They won $20,000, and two FBI supervisors were fired because of this.
In 1984, Stew Albert and his wife moved to Portland, Oregon. They worked together to edit a book called The Sixties Papers: Documents of a Rebellious Decade. This book collected important writings from different movements of the 1960s, including:
- The Civil Rights Movement
- Students for a Democratic Society
- The anti-war movement
- The counterculture
- The women's movement
Stew Albert wrote his own life story, a memoir called Who the Hell is Stew Albert?. It was published in 2005. He also ran a website called the Yippie Reading Room. He passed away in 2006 from liver cancer. Just two days before he died, he wrote on his blog, "My politics haven't changed."
Stew Albert in Film
In the year 2000, a movie called Steal This Movie! was released. In this film, the character of Stew Albert was played by the actor Donal Logue.
Images for kids
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Stew Albert, a political activist.
See also
In Spanish: Stewart Albert para niños
