Michael L. Goldstein

Born: July 2, 1945
Died: June 12, 2019
Age at Death: 73 years

Goldstein, a civil rights advocate and scholar of race and American politics, died in Los Angeles June 12 of complications from a brain tumor.

Goldstein served at the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights (1980-83) where he directed the seminal report on the Voting Rights Act, written for Congress as part of its deliberation over renewal of the Voting Rights Act. For this, he traveled throughout the rural south, documenting voting abuses. He was awarded the U.S. Commission’s Special Achievement Award. He also served as Acting Director of Research at the Joint Center for Political Studies (1978-80), where he documented trends in black elected officials.

A political historian, Goldstein received his B.A. from the University of California, Berkeley and his Ph.D. from Columbia University, where he was a student of Charles Hamilton and Ira Katz-Nelson. Goldstein’s 1973 dissertation on Race Politics in New York City 1890-1930 is still cited as one of the earliest explorations of black power and white efforts to constraint it. He was the author of a series of Guides to the Presidential Election, published by CQ Press of Congressional Quarterly.

Goldstein taught politics at Columbia, Cornell and Case Western Universities and held tenured positions at Pitzer College and Claremont McKenna College in Los Angeles. He received the Pitzer College Alumni Award for Outstanding Teaching. Until his retirement, Goldstein directed the University of California, Berkeley Washington Program 2003-08 and received the Chancellor’s Distinguished Service Award.
He was a founding principal in the communications firm, Public Affairs Research & Communications (1983-89), which represented many of the capitol’s leading progressive nonprofits working on gender and race discrimination.

Michael served as president of the Jewish Historical Society (DC) from 1991-93. During his term as president, he brought his scholarly focus to bear by leading the Society in hosting the American Jewish Historical Society’s Centennial convention, overseeing a lecture series on Jewish Supreme Court Justices, and contributing to the Society’s journal The Record. He led a strategic planning process that resulted in the creation of the Lillian and Albert Small Capital Jewish Museum. He was a member of Washington Hebrew Congregation and an active volunteer in its archives.

A resident of Potomac, MD and Manhattan Beach, CA, he is survived by his wife of 38 years, Susan Nall Bales, founder of the FrameWorks Institute, and by his son Andrew Goldstein of Manhattan Beach, Ca, a game industry executive and teacher. His sister, Laurie Goldstein, resides in Sacramento where Michael was raised, the son of prominent social workers and liberal activists Blanche and Frank Goldstein. In writing about the burning of the historic Sacramento synagogue in 1999 by white supremacists, Goldstein reflected, “My parents achieved much in their lives but to do so they constantly had to navigate the “they” – those reflecting the powerful forces of prejudice, discrimination and hate in American society. To some degree, this navigation was possible because systems of prejudice and discrimination result from social constructs full of inconsistencies and contradictions, as well as grey areas of application.” Goldstein’s scholarship and activism were devoted to understanding those grey areas and inconsistencies, and exploiting them in the direction of justice. He will be sorely missed by his thousands of students, friends and colleagues.

His funeral will be held June 24 at Home of Peace Cemetery in Sacramento, CA where three generations of his family are interred. A reception follows at Citizen Hotel. Additional commemorations will be held later in the year in Manhattan Beach and Washington, DC. A Caring Bridge site invites remembrances. Those who wish to honor his legacy can do so by contributing to the progressive organization of their choice or to the Capital Jewish Museum/Jewish Historical Society of Greater Washington (DC) or Keep Punching (Baltimore) devoted to prevention and treatment of brain cancer.
 

Memories

James Mills
June 24, 2019
Had I known that would be the last time I would see Mike I would have made sure to see him again before I moved back to Alaska. We talked off and on through phone calls. Then came the call from Mike that he had had a seizure and the diagnosis was a brain tumor.
He assured me he was receiving the best care he could have at the UCLA medical center. I never talked to him again receiving only updates from Susan and Andrew. I am honored to have been asked to be a pall bearer but I cannot attend his funeral.
I will truly miss my friend,
Jim

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Jim Mills
June 24, 2019
An obituary that I wish I didn't have to read. My best friend in life is now gone. I can remember the first day we met. It was at Cal Jr. High in the Fall semester of eighth grade. Mrs Collier was our homeroom teacher. Being a new transfer from Stanford Jr. High this school was a revelation. But being my first day I was somewhat shy and quiet in my rear seat in the middle row when this short, skinny kid with a red hair crew cut leans over and says "Hi, I'm Mike Goldstein and we played against each other in the Curtis Park Little League." He was on Boys Store and I was on Gunthers(the team to be on because we got a free ice cream cone when we won). I had no recollection of him though he told me he played center field. I was a catcher and to me he was just another batter coming to the plate. Teams tended to be insular in those 1950 years and we were also from different neighborhoods. But from that moment on Mike and I developed a close relationship that was unique to us alone and I do not recall anyone ever being part of that--well maybe Lynn Sewell should be included for reasons known only to the three of us.. Mike and I spent many days hanging out in his bedroom until we could drive and then the world replaced the bedroom. The 50th high school reunion was the first time we had seen each other in over 40 years. As we spent time--actually hours for three days--in his hotel's open air bar we reminisced and laughed. We had such a great time that the cocktail waitresses became engaging and enjoyed hearing our stories. We had a debate whether to go to the dinner but the waitresses made sure we went by calling a cab for us and ushering us out the door. 
I spent a few days in Manhattan Beach at his invite a few years ago and I can say the closeness was stronger than ever. We spent most of the time alone talking about everything and Susan graciously allowed us that time. Had I known that would be the last time I would see Mike I would have made sure to see him