Beverley Manley

Last updated

Beverley Manley
Mrs. Michael Manley, Prime Minister Michael Manley and Jimmy Carter during an Oval Office meeting 1977.png
Beverley Manley and Michael Manley with US president Jimmy Carter in 1977
Born
Beverley Lois Anderson

(1941-11-08) November 8, 1941 (age 82)
Jamaica
Education University of the West Indies, Mona
Howard University
Occupation(s)Broadcaster, women's rights advocate
Notable workThe Manley Memoirs (2008)
Spouses
​
​
(m. 1972;div. 1993)​
​
​
(m. 2012;died 2020)​
Children2

Beverley Lois Anderson-Manley [1] (born 8 November 1941) is a Jamaican public figure. In the 1970s, she emerged as a leader in women's rights advocacy, leading a campaign for a maternity leave. From 1972 to 1993, she was married to Michael Manley, who was Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1972 to 1980. Manley was known for being more radical than her husband and helping him connect with Jamaica's black population. She was a popular figure among the majority of Jamaicans. Manley also co-founded a radio show with Eric Anthony Abrahams in 1992. After divorcing Michael, she published The Manley Memoirs in 2008, and in 2012 she married Donald Keith Duncan.

Contents

Early life

Beverley Lois Anderson was born on 8 November 1941, to Esmine Anderson née  Pearson and Eric Anderson, [2] [3] and she grew up in "meager" surroundings in a working-class family. [4] [5] She had African ancestry. [5] Her father was a clerk for the Jamaica Railway Corporation. [6] Manley started her career as a model and a public broadcaster, [7] becoming a popular figure known for favoring Jamaican music over music from other countries. [8] In the 1970s, she attended the University of the West Indies, Mona. [3]

Marriage to Michael Manley

She married Michael Manley in 1972, and they had two children: the first in 1974 and the second in 1980. [6] Michael Manley was 17 years older than her, and she was his fourth wife. He became Prime Minister of Jamaica in 1972, holding the role for eight years. Manley was First Lady of Jamaica for the duration of his term, advocating on behalf of women and children. [4] She was also president of the PNP's women's movement in at least 1979, advocating for maternity leave, [9] and a leader of the movement throughout the 1970s. [6] A law that granted maternity leave was signed in 1979. [10] Biographer Michael Darrell E. Levi wrote in 1989 that Beverley Manley "played a major role in sensitizing her husband to women's concerns". In 1974, she spoke to UNESCO about women's rights. [11] She also visited Moscow and Cuba and was a vocal anti-imperialist, for which she was attacked by The Gleaner newspaper. [12] She was more politically radical than her husband. [13]

Manley also worked to help her husband "connect" with Jamaica's black population—while his skin was light, she had dark skin, an Afro reminiscent of the Black Power movement, and often wore "African attire" such as a dashiki —and developed a reputation for being involved with gender-related issues. She later said she helped Michael with his public speaking. [5] [14] Manley was not universally accepted by wealthier and more powerful Jamaicans; for instance, some told her to straighten her hair. However, she was widely supported and admired by the general populace. [5] Manley was Jamaica's patron of International Women's Year in 1975 and attended the International Women's Year Conference that year. [15] She sought to establish forms of day care and education for infants. [15] In 1975, Manley was fired upon while she and her husband led a funeral procession for the politician Winston Blake. [16]

Manley has also represented Jamaica in the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women. [10]

Later life

She attended Howard University from 1985 to 1986, working towards a Doctor of Philosophy. [4] Their marriage fell apart after both she and her husband were unfaithful. They divorced in 1993. [4] [7] The year before, Manley and Eric Anthony Abrahams had created a radio show that focused on current events, The Breakfast Club. [17] [18]

She entered into a relationship with Donald Keith Duncan, who had been a minister in her husband's cabinet. In 2008, she published The Manley Memoirs, an autobiography of her childhood and marriage. [4] [7] [19] In a review of the work, Christopher Porter for The Washington Post wrote: "In some ways, Beverley was to Prime Minister Michael Manley what Hillary Clinton was to Bill Clinton — with everything that implies: a strong, smart woman married to a brilliant but human leader, whose philandering caused pain in the marriage ... (And she had her own dalliances, too.)" [4] On 21 January 2012, Manley and Duncan were married after a 32-year affair. [20] The two were together until Duncan's death in 2020. [21] Manley is the subject of and appeared in a four-part film documentary titled Beverley Manley Uncensored in July 2022. [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Michael Manley</span> 4th Prime Minister of Jamaica

Michael Norman Manley was a Jamaican politician who served as the fourth Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1972 to 1980 and from 1989 to 1992. Manley championed a democratic socialist program, and has been described as a populist. He remains one of Jamaica's most popular prime ministers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">People's National Party</span> Jamaican centre-left political party

The People's National Party (PNP) is a social-democratic political party in Jamaica, founded in 1938 by Norman Washington Manley who served as party president until his death in 1969. It holds 14 of the 63 seats in the House of Representatives, as 96 of the 227 local government divisions. The party is democratic socialist by constitution.

Olive Marjorie Senior is a Jamaican poet, novelist, short story and non-fiction writer based in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. She was awarded the Musgrave Gold Medal in 2005 by the Institute of Jamaica for her contributions to literature. Senior was appointed Poet Laureate of Jamaica in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Portia Simpson-Miller</span> Former Prime Minister of Jamaica

Portia Lucretia Simpson-Miller is a Jamaican former politician. She served as Prime Minister of Jamaica from March 2006 to September 2007 and again from 5 January 2012 to 3 March 2016. She was the leader of the People's National Party from 2005 to 2017 and the Leader of the Opposition twice, from 2007 to 2012 and from 2016 to 2017.

Rachel Manley is a Jamaican writer in verse and prose, born in Cornwall, England, raised in Jamaica and currently residing in Canada. She is a daughter of the former Jamaican prime minister, Michael Manley. She was briefly married to George Albert Harley de Vere Drummond, father of the film director Matthew Vaughn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Erna Brodber</span> Jamaican sociologist and writer

Erna Brodber is a Jamaican writer, sociologist and social activist. She is the sister of writer Velma Pollard.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">1989 Jamaican general election</span>

General elections were held in Jamaica on 9 February 1989. The result was a victory for the People's National Party, which won 45 of the 60 seats. Voter turnout was 78%.

Gladys Maud, Lady Bustamante, OJ was a Jamaican workers' and women's rights activist and wife of Sir Alexander Bustamante, Jamaica's first Prime Minister. She was a prominent member of the Jamaican trade union movement, and was affectionately known as "Lady B".

Sharon Hay-Webster is a Jamaican politician. She was a member of the House of Representatives of the Parliament of Jamaica from 1997 to 2012, representing the People's National Party. She came to international attention after the 2004 Haitian coup d'état, when she escorted Jean-Bertrand Aristide from his temporary exile in the Central African Republic to Jamaica at the invitation of then-Prime Minister of Jamaica P. J. Patterson.

The Norman Manley Law School is a law school in Jamaica.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Rose Leon</span> Jamaican politician and businesswoman

Rose Agatha Leon was a Jamaican businesswoman and politician. In August 1999, she was murdered in her home.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Norman Manley</span> Premier of Jamaica from 1959 to 1962

Norman Washington Manley was a Jamaican statesman who served as the first and only Premier of Jamaica. A Rhodes Scholar, Manley became one of Jamaica's leading lawyers in the 1920s. Manley was an advocate of universal suffrage, which was granted by the British colonial government to the colony in 1944.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Maymie de Mena</span> American activist (1879–1953)

Maymie de Mena was an American-born activist who became one of the highest-ranking officers in the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA). She has been credited with keeping the organization alive after Marcus Garvey's conviction for mail fraud and deportation from the United States.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Connie Mark</span> Jamaican-born community activist (1923–2007)

Constance Winifred Mark, MBE, BEM was a Jamaican-born community organiser and activist. She served as a medical secretary in the Auxiliary Territorial Service in World War II. After moving to England in the early 1950s, she became an activist for West Indians in London, after being denied her British Empire Medal. She worked to gain recognition for Black service personnel who were overlooked for their services and co-founded the Mary Seacole Memorial Association to bring recognition to the accomplishments of the noted Jamaican nurse.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jamaican nationality law</span>

Jamaican nationality law is regulated by the 1962 Constitution of Jamaica, as amended; the Nationality Act of 1962, and its revisions; and various British Nationality laws. These laws determine who is, or is eligible to be, a national of Jamaica. Jamaican nationality is typically obtained either on the principle of jus soli, i.e. by birth in Jamaica; or under the rules of jus sanguinis, i.e. by birth abroad to parents with Jamaican nationality. It can also be granted to persons with an affiliation to the country, or to a permanent resident who has lived in the country for a given period of time through naturalisation. There is not currently a program in Jamaica for persons to acquire nationality through investment in the country. Nationality establishes one's international identity as a member of a sovereign nation. Though it is not synonymous with citizenship, for rights granted under domestic law for domestic purposes, the United Kingdom, and thus the commonwealth, have traditionally used the words interchangeably.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gema Ramkeesoon</span> Trinidadian and Tobagonian social worker and activist

Gema Ramkeesoon was a Trinidadian and Tobagonian social worker and women's rights activist who was one of the early pioneers of the women's movement in Trinidad and Tobago. She was honored for her social service work as a member of the Order of the British Empire in 1950 and received the gold Hummingbird Medal from Trinidad and Tobago in 1976.

Hector Lincoln Wynter, OJ, was a Jamaican educator, editor, diplomat and politician of the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Donald Keith Duncan</span> Jamaican dental surgeon and politician (1940–2020)

Donald Keith "D.K." Duncan, CD, was a Jamaican dental surgeon and politician, representing the People's National Party (PNP). He served as Minister of National Mobilization & Human Resource Development (1977–1980).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eric Anthony Abrahams</span> Jamaican public servant

Eric Anthony Abrahams was a Jamaican public servant and broadcaster. He was director of tourism from 1970 to 1975, and minister of tourism and information from 1980 to 1984. After leaving office, he co-created a radio show with Beverley Manley, "The Breakfast Club". He was involved in a libel suit against the Gleaner Company, which initially resulted in a major settlement to him. Abrahams was educated at Jamaica College and later at the University of the West Indies and University of Oxford. At Oxford, he was elected president of the Oxford Union, a debating society. In 1964, he hosted a debate attended by Malcolm X. In Britain, he briefly worked for the BBC as its first black TV reporter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Royal tours of Jamaica</span>

Royal tours of Jamaica by the Jamaican Royal Family have been taking place since the 20th century. Elizabeth II, Queen of Jamaica, visited the island six times; in 1953, 1966, 1975, 1983, 1994, and 2002.

References

  1. ↑ "Names in the News: Jamaican Chief Divorced Again". Los Angeles Times. 1 February 1990. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  2. ↑ "Manley, Beverly Lois (Mrs. Michael Manley)". Personalities Caribbean. Vol. 7. Personalities Limited. 1983. p. 483.
  3. 1 2 Levi 1989, p. 213.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Porter, Christopher (5 August 2008). "Personal Politics: 'The Manley Memoirs'". Washington Post. ISSN   0190-8286 . Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Bedasse 2017, p. 103.
  6. 1 2 3 Levi 1989, p. 21.
  7. 1 2 3 Infantry, Ashante (23 September 2008). "Jamaica's ex-first lady reveals it all in memoirs". The Toronto Star . Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  8. ↑ Levi 1989, p. 136.
  9. ↑ Reddock, Rhoda (1998). "Women's Organizations and Movements in the Commonwealth Caribbean: The Response to Global Economic Crisis in the 1980s". Feminist Review. 59 (59): 57–73. doi:10.1080/014177898339451. ISSN   0141-7789. JSTOR   1395723. S2CID   144898132.
  10. 1 2 "Beverley Anderson Manley". The Jamaica Observer. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  11. ↑ Levi 1989, p. 163.
  12. ↑ Levi 1989, p. 215.
  13. ↑ Levi 1989, p. 216.
  14. ↑ Dunkley, D.A. (2011). "Hegemony in Post-Independence Jamaica". Caribbean Quarterly. 57 (2): 1–23. doi:10.1080/00086495.2011.11672400. ISSN   0008-6495. JSTOR   23050526. S2CID   142211299.
  15. 1 2 Interamerican Commission of Women 1980, p. 113.
  16. ↑ Levi 1989, p. 165.
  17. ↑ Cunnincham, Anastasia (18 August 2011). "Anthony Abrahams laid to rest". The Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
  18. ↑ Gonzalez, David (18 October 1999). "A Killing Shocks Jamaicans Into Soul-Searching". archive.nytimes.com. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  19. ↑ The Manley Memoirs. Ian Randle Publishers. 2008. p. 247. ISBN   9789766373139 – via Google Books.
  20. ↑ Ellington, Barbara (29 January 2012). "At last ... DK & Bev make it official". The Jamaica Gleaner. Retrieved 13 April 2021.
  21. ↑ "DK Duncan remembered as an advocate for social and economic justice". The Jamaica Gleaner. 25 October 2020. Retrieved 14 April 2021.
  22. ↑ "New doc lays bare life of Beverley Manley Duncan". The Jamaica Gleaner. 31 July 2022. Retrieved 8 September 2022.

Bibliography

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.