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Biography
Early Life

Sylvia B. Seaman, originally known as Sylvia Bernstein, was born in Manhattan on the 8th of November in 1900. [3] In 1915 Seaman marched in her first women’s suffrage march,  prompting heavy participation in women's activism from her teenage years forward. [4] Soon after becoming involved in the women’s rights movement, Seaman was arrested for wearing riding breeches in public. This act was seen as “unbecoming” of a lady and was not tolerated at this point in the twentieth century. [3] After high school Seaman began attending Cornell University, where she branched into a successful path of writing. She wrote articles for magazines and newspapers with her roommate under the stage name of Francis Sylvin. Seaman believed that she needed to publish under a male alias in order for her works to be taken more seriously. Soon after graduating, Seaman married William Seaman and had two sons named Gideon and Jonathan. [4]

Legacy Throughout her life, Sylvia Seaman was able to leave a lasting legacy by addressing the public through her writing and talks about personal experiences with the intent of educating others. One of these personal experiences involved a radical mastectomy that Seaman underwent in 1955 due to a mass found in her breast. [4] This milestone in her life turned her to a path of education and awareness about breast cancer and its severity. In 1965, Seaman published a novel called What Every Woman Should Know About Breast Cancer, in which she explains ways of how a radical mastectomy could be avoided. [3] Seaman then devoted herself to educating other women on the importance of self-checks and mammograms for the rest of her career. In an interview with Irene Davall, a prominent feminist leader in the 1970’s, Seaman stated, “It may be in time that they don’t have to do many radicals, especially if mammograms should become more popular.” [2] Ultimately, she believed strongly in women’s activism and educating the public on women’s health issues that were rarely talked about at the time.

In addition to continuing to tell her story and educate the public about breast cancer, Seaman spoke out about several other controversial issues within the realm of women’s health and sexuality. Often she spoke out about abortion and its importance, along with lesbianism and other sexual orientations that were highly avoided within the media. [1] Seaman continued to interview on radio shows and for newspapers until she was in her late seventies, and continued to write articles in newspapers about newly controversial topics that came up within the women’s rights movement. In 1979, Seaman wrote her final novel called How to be a Jewish Grandmother. [3] In this novel, Seaman set aside her controversial topics and wrote short anecdotal stories about some of the lighter experiences throughout her life, most relating to family experiences. This novel also incorporated changes that she personally experienced throughout her life and gave advice on how to handle similar situations. [5]

In 1994 Seaman died of breast cancer, however, her legacy lies within her novels, along with her on the public awareness of breast cancer and women’s health. Seaman was an active participant in the women’s suffrage movement and worked tirelessly to see the change that she wanted in the United States. [4]