Rebecca Walker

Infobox actor

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caption = Rebecca Walker, Photo David Fenton, 2003
birthdate = November 17 1969
birthplace = Jackson, Mississippi

Rebecca Walker (born November 17 1969) is an American feminist and writer. She has been named by "Time Magazine" as one of the 50 future leaders of America.

Biography

Early life

Walker was born Rebecca Leventhal in Jackson, Mississippi, the daughter of Alice Walker, the African-American author of "The Color Purple", and Mel Leventhal, a Jewish American lawyer.cite news|last=Ross|first=Ross|coauthors=|title=Rebecca Walker bringing message to Expo|pages=|publisher=Pensacola News Journal|date=2007-04-08|url=http://www.pensacolanewsjournal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070408/NEWS01/704080331/1005|accessdate=2007-04-08] After her parents divorced, she spent her childhood alternating every two years between her father's largely Jewish area in New York City and her mother's largely African-American environment in San Francisco, where she attended The Urban School of San Francisco. When she was 18, she decided to change her surname from Leventhal to Walker, her mother's maiden name. Rebecca Walker grew up largely in Bronx, New York.

Education and career

After graduating cum laude from Yale University in 1992, she co-founded Third Wave Foundation, a non-profit organization aiming to encourage young women to get involved in activism and leadership roles. In its first year, the organization initiated a campaign that registered over 20,000 new voters across the United States. The organization now provides grants to individuals and projects that support young women. Walker is considered one of the founding leaders of third-wave feminism.

Walker was a contributing editor to "Ms." magazine for many years. Her work has appeared in a number of publications, including "Harper's", "Essence", "Glamour", "Interview", "Buddhadharma", "Vibe", "Child", and "Mademoiselle" magazines. She has been featured on CNN and MTV, and has appeared in "The New York Times", "Chicago Times", "Esquire", "Shambhala Sun", among many other publications. She also had a role in the film "Primary Colors."

Walker has received several awards for her work, including the Women of Distinction Award from The National Association of University Women, "Feminist of the Year" award from the Fund for the Feminist Majority, the "Paz Y Justicia" award from the Vanguard Foundation, the "Intrepid Award" from the National Organization for Women, [ [http://www.now.org/organization/gala/2003/walker.html NOW's First Annual Intrepid Awards Gala: Rebecca Walker ] ] the "Champion of Choice" award from the California Abortion Rights Action League and the "Women Who Could Be President Award" from the League of Women Voters. Walker spends much of her time speaking about (her) multicultural identity, enlightened masculinity and intergenerational and third-wave feminism at universities and conferences around the world. She also teaches writing workshops and consults on non-fiction manuscripts.

Walker is the author of four books, '; '; ' and her latest, '. [ [http://andrejkoymasky.com/liv/fam/biow1/walk07.html Matt & Andrej Koymasky - Famous GLTB - Rebecca Walker ] ] She is currently working on a third memoir, about her travels in Africa.

Personal life

Walker is bisexual and at one time was in a relationship with musician Meshell Ndegeocello. [cite web
last =O'Neill
first =Heather A.
title =Across the Page: Bisexual Books
publisher =AfterEllen.com
date =2007-04-18
url =http://www.afterellen.com/print/2007/4/acrossthepage
accessdate =2007-11-19 ] In December 2004, Walker gave birth to a son, Tenzin, whose arrival is the subject of her new memoir, "Baby Love: Choosing Motherhood after a Lifetime of Ambivalence". Rebecca Walker is currently estranged from her mother because of statements made in the previously mentioned memoir, "Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self".cite web|url=http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/books/article3866798.ece|title=The day feminist icon Alice Walker resigned as my mother|accessdate=2008-01-07|format=|work= ] Walker lives with Tenzin and his father Glen in Hawaii.

Film

*Character "March" in 1998 Film "Primary Colors"

Books

* "To be Real: Telling the Truth and Changing the Face of Feminism" (1996) (Editor)
* "Black, White and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self" (2000)
* "What Makes A Man: 22 Writers Imagine The Future" (2004) (Editor)
* "Baby Love: Choosing Motherhood After a Lifetime of Ambivalence" (2007)

References

External links

* [http://www.rebeccawalker.com Official site]
* [http://www.myspace.com/officialrebeccawalker Official Myspace Page]
* [http://www.thirdwavefoundation.org/ Third Wave Foundation]
* [http://multiracial.com/site/content/view/115/27/ Excerpt: Black, White, and Jewish: Autobiography of a Shifting Self] by Rebecca Walker, published December 1, 2000 in The Multiracial Activist
* [http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/18/fashion/18walker.html NY TIMES article - Evolution of a feminist daughter] March 18, 2007
* [http://www.bookforum.com/inprint/014_04/1418 Book Forum Article]
* [http://greatergood.berkeley.edu/greatergood/2008summer/Walker851.html Editorial Work Greater Good Magazine] Summer 2008
* [http://www.thekathleenshow.com/Guest/RebeccaWalker/tabid/55/xmmid/388/xmid/1638/xmview/2/Default.aspx Rebecca talks about some behind-the-scenes perspectives on her own life as a writer and a mother.]