Editing Leonard Bernstein (section)

==Social activism and humanitarian efforts==
Since earliest adulthood, Bernstein was committed to furthering social change and making the world a better place.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Humanitarian {{!}} About {{!}} Leonard Bernstein |url=https://leonardbernstein.com/about/humanitarian |access-date=September 8, 2023 |website=leonardbernstein.com}}</ref> Throughout his life, Bernstein fought for a variety of political and humanitarian causes, from the [[civil rights movement]] to the [[Opposition to United States involvement in the Vietnam War|Vietnam War protests]] to [[nuclear disarmament]] to advocacy during the AIDS crisis.<ref>{{cite web |author=Bernstein:The Best of All Possible Worlds |title=Causes and Effecting Change |url=http://www.carnegiehall.org/bernstein/leonardbernstein/essays/nr_socialactivist.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101224044931/http://www.carnegiehall.org/bernstein/leonardbernstein/essays/nr_socialactivist.html |archive-date=December 24, 2010 }}</ref>

Bernstein's first public efforts for social change became apparent in 1939 when, as a college student at Harvard, he organized and led a performance of [[Marc Blitzstein]]'s recently banned musical, ''[[The Cradle Will Rock]]'', about the struggles of the working class.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Cradle Will Rock |url=http://usopera.com/operas/cradle.html |access-date=September 8, 2023 |website=usopera.com}}</ref>

=== FBI file ===
Bernstein was involved in numerous left-wing causes and organizations since the 1940s, at which time the FBI began its decades-long monitoring of Bernstein's activities "for his ties to communist organizations."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Leonard Bernstein |url=https://vault.fbi.gov/leonard-bernstein |access-date=September 8, 2023 |website=FBI |language=en-us}}</ref> In the 1980s, through the Freedom of Information Act, he was able to view his FBI file, which was over 800 pages long.<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Ross|first=Alex|author-link=Alex Ross (music critic)|date=April 13, 2009 |title=Bernstein and the F.B.I.|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]|url=https://www.newyorker.com/news/news-desk/bernstein-and-the-f-b-i |access-date=September 8, 2023}}</ref> In the early 1950s, he was briefly blacklisted by the [[United States Department of State]] and [[CBS]], but he was never asked to testify before the [[House Un-American Activities Committee]].{{sfn|Seldes|2009|p=50}}

=== Civil rights ===
Bernstein expressed his support of civil rights in the United States in numerous ways. Some examples include multiracial casting in ''[[On the Town (musical)|On the Town]]'' in the 1940s, instigating blind auditions at the New York Philharmonic in the 1960s and the robust support of artists of color in classical music.<ref>{{Cite web |date=February 19, 2019 |title=Leonard Bernstein's Black America {{!}} WQXR Features |url=https://www.wqxr.org/story/leonard-bernsteins-black-america |access-date=December 5, 2023 |publisher=[[WQXR-FM|WQXR]]}}</ref>

On March 24, 1965, at the invitation of [[Harry Belafonte]], Bernstein participated in the Stars for Freedom Rally, a star-studded performance in support of the marchers heading from [[Selma to Montgomery marches|Selma to Montgomery]] to demand voting rights. The next day, [[Martin Luther King Jr.]], the leader of the march, delivered one of his most famous speeches, "[[How Long, Not Long]]".<ref name=Alabama />

==== "Radical Chic" ====
On January 14, 1970, Bernstein and his wife Felicia held an event at their Manhattan apartment seeking to raise awareness and funds for the defense of members of the [[Black Panther Party]], known as the [[Panther 21]].<ref name="loc2010">{{cite web |title=Radical Chic |url=http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/hopeforamerica/causesandcontroversies/polarization/ExhibitObjects/RadicalChic.aspx |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120725171227/http://myloc.gov/Exhibitions/hopeforamerica/causesandcontroversies/polarization/ExhibitObjects/RadicalChic.aspx |archive-date=July 25, 2012 |access-date=December 12, 2010 |work=Hope for America: Performers, Politics and Pop Culture |publisher=Library of Congress}}</ref> ''[[The New York Times]]'' initially covered the gathering in its society section, but later published an editorial harshly unfavorable to Bernstein.<ref name="nyt_false_note">{{cite news|title=False Note on Black Panthers|url=https://www.nytimes.com/1970/01/16/archives/false-note-on-black-panthers.html|newspaper=The New York Times|date=January 16, 1970|page=38}}</ref><ref name="nymag_html">{{cite web |last=Wolfe |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Wolfe |id="Tom Wolfe on Radical Chic and Leonard Bernstein's Party for the Black Panthers" |url= https://nymag.com/news/features/46170/index15.html |title=Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny's |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |date=April 15, 2008 |access-date=December 11, 2010}}</ref>

The story became widely publicized, climaxing in June of that year with the appearance of "[[Radical Chic & Mau-Mauing the Flak Catchers|Radical Chic: That Party at Lenny's]]", a cover story by journalist [[Tom Wolfe]] in ''[[New York Magazine]]''.<ref name="nymag1970">{{cite news |url=https://nymag.com/docs/07/05/070529radical_chic.pdf |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20221010/https://nymag.com/docs/07/05/070529radical_chic.pdf |archive-date=October 10, 2022 |url-status=live |title=Radical Chic: that Party at Lenny's |last=Wolfe |first=Tom |author-link=Tom Wolfe |date=June 8, 1970 |work=[[New York (magazine)|New York]] |access-date=March 1, 2010}}</ref> The article led to the popularization of the pejorative term "[[radical chic]]".<ref name="economist2009">{{cite news |title=Leonard Bernstein: A political life |url=http://www.economist.com/node/13726549 |newspaper=[[The Economist]]|access-date=December 12, 2010 |date=May 28, 2009}}</ref> Bernstein and his wife Felicia received hate mail, and their building was picketed by [[Jewish Defense League]] protesters. Bernstein's FBI file later revealed that the Bureau had generated the letters, and had implanted agents to make the protests look more substantial.<ref name="nyt_letter">{{cite news|last=Bernstein|first=Felicia M.|author-link=Felicia Montealegre Bernstein|url=https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1970/01/21/79095992.html?pageNumber=46|title=Letters to the Editor of ''The Times'': Panthers' Legal Aid|newspaper=[[The New York Times]]|page=46|date=January 21, 1970}}</ref><ref name="carnegie_best">{{cite web |title=The Social Activist |url=http://www.carnegiehall.org/bernstein/leonardbernstein/socialactivist.aspx |work=Bernstein: The Best of All Possible Worlds |publisher=[[Carnegie Hall]] Corporation |access-date=December 12, 2010 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101223194131/http://www.carnegiehall.org/bernstein/leonardbernstein/socialactivist.aspx |archive-date=December 23, 2010 }}</ref>

=== Anti-Vietnam war efforts ===
[[File:Program from "A Concert For Peace at Washington Cathedral," January 19, 1973.jpg|thumb|Program from "A Concert For Peace at Washington Cathedral", January 19, 1973]]
On January 21, 1968, Bernstein and [[Paul Newman]] co-hosted "Broadway for Peace" at Lincoln Center's Philharmonic Hall to support the Congressional Peace Campaign Committee, which funded congressional campaigns opposing the Vietnam War. For the occasion, Bernstein composed a song, "[[So Pretty (song)|So Pretty]]", sung by [[Barbra Streisand]] accompanied by Bernstein on the piano.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Barbra Archives {{!}} Broadway For Peace 1968 Concert |url=https://www.barbra-archives.info/broadway-for-peace-1968 |access-date=December 5, 2023 |website=www.barbra-archives.info}}</ref>

On January 19, 1973, Bernstein conducted members of the [[National Symphony Orchestra]] in a "Concert of Peace" at the [[Washington National Cathedral]]. The free performance of Haydn's [[Missa in tempore belli|''Mass in Time of War'']], which took place on the eve of the [[second inauguration of Richard Nixon]], was in protest of Nixon's failure to bring an end to the Vietnam War.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Episode 10: A Plea for Peace: Leonard Bernstein, Richard Nixon, and the Music of the 1973 Inauguration|website=The Echo Chamber|url=http://theechochamberpodcast.com/a-plea-for-peace-leonard-bernstein-richard-nixon-and-the-music-of-the-1973-inauguration/|access-date=December 5, 2023|archive-date=December 5, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231205195937/http://theechochamberpodcast.com/a-plea-for-peace-leonard-bernstein-richard-nixon-and-the-music-of-the-1973-inauguration/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

=== Rostropovich and the Soviet Union ===
Bernstein played a key role in the release of renowned cellist and conductor [[Mstislav Rostropovich]] from the [[USSR]] in 1974. Rostropovich, a strong believer in free speech and democracy, had been officially held in disgrace; his concerts and tours both at home and abroad cancelled; and in 1972 he was prohibited to travel outside of the Soviet Union. During a trip to the USSR in 1974, U.S. Senator from Massachusetts [[Ted Kennedy]] and his wife [[Joan Bennett Kennedy|Joan]], urged by Bernstein and others in the cultural sphere, mentioned Rostropovich's situation to [[Leonid Brezhnev]], the Soviet Union Communist Party Leader. Two days later, Rostropovich was granted his exit visa.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Kennedy |first=Joan |title=The Joy of Classical Music: A Guide for You and Your Family |date=September 1, 1994 |publisher=Main Street Books |isbn=978-0-385-41263-6 |edition=Reissue |location=New York |author-link=Joan Bennett Kennedy}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Kennedy |first=Edward M. |url=https://archive.org/details/truecompassmemoi00kenn |title=True Compass : A Memoir |date=2009 |publisher=Twelve |isbn=978-0-446-53925-8 |edition=1st |location=New York |oclc=434905205 |author-link=Ted Kennedy}}</ref>

=== Nuclear disarmament ===
Bernstein was a committed and outspoken supporter of [[nuclear disarmament]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hope in the Nuclear Age {{!}} Speeches {{!}} Lectures/Scripts/Writings {{!}} Leonard Bernstein |url=https://leonardbernstein.com/lectures/speeches/hope-in-the-nuclear-age |access-date=September 29, 2023 |website=leonardbernstein.com}}</ref> In 1980, he gave a commencement speech at Johns Hopkins University warning the graduating class of the dangers of nuclear proliferation.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Disarmament Activist {{!}} Humanitarian {{!}} About {{!}} Leonard Bernstein |url=https://leonardbernstein.com/about/humanitarian/disarmament-activist |access-date=September 29, 2023 |website=leonardbernstein.com}}</ref> In 1983, he dedicated the activities surrounding his 65th birthday to the issue of nuclear disarmament.{{sfn|Burton|1995|pages=471-472}} In 1985, he brought the [[European Community Youth Orchestra]] on a "Journey for Peace" tour across Europe and Japan, performing at the Hiroshima Peace Ceremony to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the bombing.{{sfn|Burton|1995|page=480}}

=== Advocacy for AIDS research and patient care ===
In the 1980s, Bernstein was frustrated that the [[Reagan Administration]] took so long to acknowledge the existence of the [[AIDS epidemic]], let alone provide resources for research and patient care.{{sfn|Seldes|2009|page=158}} Bernstein was galvanized to provide advocacy however he could. In a written statement for a June 1983 benefit for AIDS advocacy in Houston, Bernstein wrote: "AIDS is {{em|not}}, repeat {{em|not}}, the Gay Plague it is so often made out to be; it is part of the human condition, and must be universally researched and annihilated."<ref>{{Cite web |title=Image 1 of [statement for an AIDS benefit], 1983 June |url=https://www.loc.gov/resource/music.musbernstein-100020187/?sp=1&st=image |access-date=January 16, 2024 |website=Library of Congress}}</ref>

On April 30, 1983, at [[Madison Square Garden]] in New York City, Bernstein participated in one of the earliest HIV / AIDS fundraisers, which raised over $250,000 for the [[Gay Men's Health Crisis]] (GMHC). Bernstein conducted the [[Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus]] Orchestra with mezzo-soprano [[Shirley Verrett]] in "[[The Star-Spangled Banner]]".<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Ross|first=Alex|author-link=Alex Ross (music critic)|date=May 30, 2019 |title=Revisiting a Symphonic AIDS Memorial |url=https://www.newyorker.com/culture/cultural-comment/revisiting-a-symphonic-aids-memorial |access-date=January 16, 2024|magazine=[[The New Yorker]]}}</ref>

On November 8, 1987, Bernstein participated in another event to benefit the Gay Men's Health Crisis. The concert at [[Carnegie Hall]], "Music for Life", was dedicated to Dr. [[Mathilde Krim]] and her work at the [[American Foundation for AIDS Research]] (amFAR).<ref>{{Cite web |title=AIDS Awareness & Funding for Research|url=https://leonardbernstein.com/about/humanitarian/aids-awareness-and-funding-for-research |access-date=February 14, 2024 |website=leonardbernstein.com}}</ref> Bernstein was joined by [[Leontyne Price]], [[Marilyn Horne]], [[Luciano Pavarotti]], and [[Yo-Yo Ma]], among others.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.carnegiehall.org/About/History/Performance-History-Search?q=&dex=prod_PHS_Newest_First&page=7&event=24070&start=562741200&end=567925200|access-date=January 16, 2024|title=Music for Life – Benefit Concert for Gay Men's Health Crisis|type=performance details|publisher=[[Carnegie Hall]]}}</ref>

On November 15, 1989, Bernstein refused the [[National Medal of Arts]] from President [[George H. W. Bush]] in protest against the revoked [[National Endowment for the Arts]] grant for a New York exhibit of AIDS-related art.<ref>{{Cite news |date=January 1, 2024 |title=Bernstein Rejects Medal in Arts Controversy|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1989/11/16/bernstein-rejects-medal-in-arts-controversy/8049c57a-7f0e-4adf-a036-3c429e36752b/ |access-date=February 14, 2024|newspaper=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>

=== Philanthropy ===
Bernstein funded a variety of fellowships, funds, and scholarships including ones at the [[Tanglewood Music Center]], [[Jacobs School of Music]],<ref>{{Cite web|title=Endowments & Scholarships: Leonard Bernstein Scholarship Fund|url=https://music.indiana.edu/giving/scholarships/scholarships-bernstein.html |access-date=September 29, 2023|publisher=[[Jacobs School of Music]]}}</ref> [[Brandeis University]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Leonard Bernstein Fellowship |url=https://www.brandeis.edu/admissions/affordability/scholarships-fellowships/bernstein.html |access-date=September 29, 2023 |website=brandeis.edu |language=en}}</ref> and the [[ASCAP Foundation]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The ASCAP Foundation Leonard Bernstein Award |url=https://www.ascapfoundation.org/ascapfoundation/programs/awards/leonard-bernstein-award |access-date=September 29, 2023}}</ref> Several of these funds were named for his late wife Felicia Montealegre, including scholarships at the [[Juilliard School]], [[Columbia University School of the Arts]], [[New York University Tisch School of the Arts]],<ref>{{Cite magazine|last=Urquhart|first=Craig|title=The Quiet Legacy|pages=1, 5|magazine=Prelude, Fugue & Riffs|url=https://www.leonardbernstein.com/uploads/pages/files/PFR_1996_Autumn.pdf|access-date=September 29, 2023}}</ref> and the Felicia Montealegre Bernstein Fund of [[Amnesty International USA]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=Leonard Bernstein and Amnesty International|author=John G. Healey|year=1992|url=https://leonardbernstein.com/about/humanitarian/human-rights-activist |access-date=September 29, 2023 |website=leonardbernstein.com}}</ref>

Bernstein had a lifelong interest in integrating the arts into general education. When he won the Japan Art Association's [[Praemium Imperiale]] award in 1990,<ref>{{cite web | title=Temple Emanuel | url=http://www.emanuelnyc.org/composer.php?composer_id=28 | access-date=October 12, 2011 | archive-date=November 25, 2018 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181125145523/http://www.emanuelnyc.org/composer.php?composer_id=28 | url-status=dead }}</ref> Bernstein used the $100,000 prize money to initiate a project in Nashville, Tennessee that would eventually lead to the current nationwide teaching model known as [[Artful Learning]].<ref>{{Cite news| last=Harrison | first=Eric | title=The maestro's legacy reverberates in Nashville : Leonard Bernstein's dream of creating a center that integrates the arts and the classroom is in full swing|newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]]|access-date=October 11, 2011 | url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1993-08-09-mn-22033-story.html | date=August 9, 1993}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.com/alexander-bernstein/leonard-bernsteins-artsba_b_3427779.html |title=Leonard Bernstein's Arts-Based Education Revolution |website=[[HuffPost]] |date=June 12, 2013 |access-date=June 12, 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Artful Learning Model |url=http://www.leonardbernstein.com/artful_learning.htm |publisher=The Leonard Bernstein Center |access-date=February 7, 2015}}</ref>