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Honored as one of the Jewish Women's Archive's 2002 Women Who Dared for her efforts to defend the rights of prison inmates, Rebecca Young identifies the passion that fuels her work as a legacy from her mother. Rebecca was born in Manhattan in 1964 into a childhood full of challenge. After her parents divorced in 1971, Rebecca and her mother struggled with poverty, an experience Rebecca would always remember. When Rebecca was thirteen her mother died, and Rebecca was sent to live with a cousin. Young points to the memory of her mother as well as to her Jewish identity and her experiences with poverty as the major influences behind her activism. Her mother taught her "that whatever other people do, if you know who you are and you know what you believe in, that's really all you need. That, and the willingness to stand up and say what's right." Young's work with prisoners is informed by her "political sensibilities… mostly from my mother, who was very liberal. I remember being a little kid and her telling me stories about FDR from when she was much younger. And I think that also part of my sense about politics came from being on welfare, from watching what that was like for my mother and for me." Although Rebecca Young's life and career have turned out very differently from her mother's, she still sees her mother as her greatest role model: "Despite our financial situation and all kinds of other things, I really saw her as someone who was very strong and who spoke her mind and stood up for what she believed in and managed to maintain her dignity with those welfare workers who wanted to treat her like sh-t. And I think that was great for me." Even as she strove to survive difficult circumstances, Rebecca Young's mother was able to teach her daughter the priceless principles of caring for others and believing in oneself. For more information on Rebecca Young, explore our Women Who Dared online exhibit.
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