Virgil Bernero - Early Life, Education and Career

Early Life, Education and Career

Virg Bernero was born March 31, 1964 in Pontiac, Michigan in the Metro Detroit area. He was the youngest of five children born to Giulio, an Italian immigrant, and Virginia, a first generation Italian-American. Bernero has said that the diagnosis of schizophrenia of one of his brothers, and the death of another brother to AIDS in 1990 (on the same day he was elected to the Ingham County Commission) have helped to shape his life and politics.

Bernero graduated from Waterford Mott High School in 1982, and from Adrian College in 1986, with a B.A. in political science. He is married to Teri Johnston, with whom he has two daughters, Kelly and Virginia. In 2007, Bernero appeared in the documentary Fired! by Annabelle Gurwitch. The film chronicles the experiences of individuals who have been fired from their jobs. In it, Bernero was interviewed about his efforts to pass a law that would make it illegal for Michigan employers to fire workers for engaging in otherwise legal conduct during their off-work hours.

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