BONNIE MILSTEIN

BONNIE MILSTEIN
Bonnie Milstein spent her life on the hunt for justice; justice for the disenfranchised, people with disabilities, people with mental illness, people without homes, imprisoned people, poor people, and people who are unfairly accused. She grew up in Hartford, CT with her mother Sophie, her father Maurice, and her siblings, Judy and Philip. She always said it was Philip's Cerebral Palsy that changed the course of her life, but that wasn't really true. Instead it was society's view of his disability that gave Bonnie purpose. She saw unfairness everywhere she looked: no wheelchair ramps, no bathrooms big enough for a wheelchair, the stares, the social stigma. After graduating from Smith College, she became a lawyer at UCONN - where she was one of the first women at the law school - and one of only three in her class. Her first job was as a legal services lawyer in Hartford and New Haven. She was the first woman to practice criminal law in New Haven where both the quality of her work and her sense of humor led to acceptance, not only for herself but for the many women who followed. She eventually settled in Washington, DC with her husband and law school classmate Elliott, and later their son, Jacob. She and Elliott remained close friends for the rest of her life. From her first job in Washington, pushing for prison reform with the ACLU, to her later ones, the theme was the same. She was the consummate Washington public interest lawyer, both working on behalf of individual clients and pushing forward policy changes to advance social justice. She was Deputy Assistant General Counsel for Civil Rights at HEW, but left when a new administration made achieving her goals impossible. Her passionate advocacy for disability rights took her to the Center for Law and Social Policy and later the Mental Health Law Project where she focused on issues of housing. She was part of the team of advocates that successfully persuaded Congress to pass the Americans With Disabilities Act. After a brief period of private practice, she returned to government, working for HUD in the office of civil rights compliance. There she was able to help countless people with disabilities, all across the country, obtain independent housing. Her job with HUD continued when she eventually moved to San Francisco and its regional office where she focused her energy on housing policy in the West. While living there, she developed a love of flowers (she could name just about any plant on her walks in the Presidio). She delighted in sharing her wisdom, whether it was about flowers, classical music or chocolate. She picked up friends everywhere she went; learning and teaching at the same time. When she moved back to D.C. to fight for housing for those with mental illness, she found herself in a different battle. She held off the breast cancer for 5 years. It was long enough to really get to know her granddaughter Willow. She and Willow spent countless hours together on sailboats, at the zoo, and on vacation together. There is no photo of Bonnie with Willow that doesn't have a smile in it. Bonnie leaves behind her mother Sophie, siblings Judy and Philip, son Jake, daughter-in-law Jennifer Arterburn, and granddaughter Willow. She died on February 20, 2015. We will sit Shiva/tell funny stories about Bonnie at the residence of Elliott Milstein (e-mail bonniemilstein@gmail for directions) on Sunday, February 22, 2015 from 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. Bonnie asked that donations be made to Pathways to Housing DC. in her memory in lieu of flowers.