JEANETTE CARLSON

CARLSON Jeanette Levinson Carlson An anti-apartheid activist who with her husband fought against the racist South African government, died peacefully on August 18, 2020 in Silver Spring, MD, in the presence of her family. She was 91. Mrs. Carlson was a leader of the Black Sash, an organization that protested the disenfranchisement of the Black majority. As the head of a Johannesburg chapter, she compelled South Africans to recognize the injustices of apartheid. Under her leadership, the Black Sash rallied nearly every week outside courthouses and on roadsides protesting oppressive pass laws. Along with her husband, Joel Carlson, Mrs. Carlson believed - and taught her four children - that apartheid meant apart and hate. She was instrumental in helping her husband as he represented Nelson and Winnie Mandela, among other prominent anti-Apartheid activists. In 1971, after their home was fire-bombed and they received numerous death threats, Mr. Carlson fled the country. Mrs. Carlson and her children, ages 3 to 13, were then deported. Detained for questioning before her departure, she assured security police her family would never return. True to her word, Mrs. Carlson never did. Jeanette Levinson Carlson was born in Muizenberg, Cape Town on June 21, 1929, the youngest of the six children of Israel Levinson and Rebecca Davids Levinson. Her parents founded Hillel College, and she grew up in a boarding school environment, later becoming a preschool teacher. Her first job was with young Black students in Johannesburg where she came face to face with injustices they confronted on a daily basis. After fleeing South Africa, the Carlsons settled in Great Neck, NY, and she lived there for over four decades. Mrs. Carlson worked as a bookkeeper and office manager. She also was a professional driver and personal assistant to a number of high-profile clients. Mrs. Carlson continued her public advocacy as an active member of Mothers (and Others) Against the Draft, Planned Parenthood and other groups. Her activism was aided by her patient, curious, and nurturing disposition. A lifelong teacher, Mrs. Carlson passed down her strong-willed passion for a more just world onto her children and grandchildren. She moved to Maryland in 2017 to live with her daughter, Meredith Carlson Daly and family. She is survived by Ms. Daly and her husband, Matthew Daly, of Silver Spring, Gabrielle Carlson of New York City; Jeremy Carlson of Santa Cruz, California; and Adam Carlson and his wife, April Mills of Seattle, along with three grandchildren. A private service will be held. Donations may be made to Compassion & Choices or the Equal Justice Initiative.A private service will be held. Donations may be made to Compassion & Choices or the Equal Justice Initiative.