Linda Bellos

Last updated

Linda Bellos
Linda Bellos 2010.jpg
Bellos in 2010.
Born
Linda Ann Adebowale

(1950-12-13) 13 December 1950 (age 73)
London, England
Alma mater University of Sussex
Occupations
  • Politician
  • activist
Political party Labour
Spouse
Jonathan Bellos
​
​
(m. 1970;div. 1983)​
PartnerCaroline Jones (CP 2005–2015)
Children2
Website lindabellos.com

Linda Ann Bellos OBE (born 13 December 1950) [1] is a British businesswoman, radical feminist and gay-rights activist. In 1981 she became the first woman of African descent to join the Spare Rib collective. She was elected to Lambeth Borough Council in London in 1985 and was the leader of the council from 1986 to 1988. [2]

Contents

Early life

Bellos was born in London to a white Polish Jewish mother, Renee Sackman, and a Nigerian, Yoruba father, Emmanuel Adebowale, who came from Uzebba and had joined the merchant navy during the Second World War. Renee Sackman was disowned by her family for marrying an African Christian. [3] Raised in Brixton, Bellos was educated at Silverthorne Girls' Secondary Modern School, Dick Sheppard Comprehensive School, and the University of Sussex (1978–81). [4]

Career

Feminism

Bellos is a radical feminist and was the first non-white lesbian to join the Spare Rib feminist collective in 1981. [5] She criticises the movement's "point scoring" and the manner in which the women's movement was, in her view, dominated by white, middle-class women. [6] She rejects the term "mixed race" because she considers that every attempt to define race is reduced to definitions of skin colour. She uses the term "mixed heritage" instead. Bellos is a person of African and Eastern European Jewish heritage. She uses the inclusive political term of "Black" to describe herself.

Politics

She was vice-chair of the successful Labour Party Black Sections campaign to select African, Caribbean and Asian parliamentary and local candidates within the Labour Party.

In 1985 Bellos was elected as a Labour councillor to Lambeth London Borough Council and was leader of the council between 1986 and 1988. She was the second Black woman to become leader of a British local authority, after Merle Amory in the northwest London Borough of Brent. Bellos resigned as leader on 21 April 1988, after disputes within the Labour Party over the setting of the council budget. She was a prominent figure in left-wing politics in London in the 1980s and was labelled by The Sun as a member of the "Loony Left". Bellos attempted to become a parliamentary candidate, without success, most notably for Vauxhall, south London, in the Lambeth borough, where there was a by-election in 1989, following the resignation of Stuart Holland MP. Fellow Black Sections vice-chair Martha Osamor was chosen by the local party to be the prospective parliamentary candidate but she was rejected as too left-wing by Labour leader Neil Kinnock, who got Kate Hoey imposed by the national party.

Bellos was the treasurer of the Africa Reparations Movement (UK). She was co-chair of the Southwark LGBT Network [7] until February 2007 and an adviser to Southwark Council. From 2000 to 2003, she was co-chair of the LGBT Advisory Group to the Metropolitan Police. [7] [8] She remains a community activist.

Linda co-founded Design for Diversity with Dr Tony Malone in 2004. The two founders worked with the partnership on projects for 5 years. Linda continues a close friendship with Tony despite their differing views on trans-rights.

Equality

As a lesbian feminist, Bellos argued strongly in the early 1980s that an inclusive approach to women's issues must take account of social class, minority and majority ethnic identity, disability, sexual identity and religion. This approach was unpopular at the time. More recently, Bellos teaches employers and their staff to apply the Equality Act 2010, the Human Rights Act 1998 and other equality law. She notably originated Black History Month in the UK whilst chair of the London Strategic Policy Unit. [9]

Bellos has worked on mainstreaming equality within many public bodies, including the British Army and the Metropolitan Police Service. She was an Independent Advisor to the Metropolitan Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Association of Chief Police Officers. [8]

She is a founder member and former Chair of The Institute of Equality and Diversity Practitioners. [10] [11]

Consulting

Bellos provides equality, diversity and human rights consultancy and training services to the UK's commercial, public and not-for-profit sectors. Her company is called Linda Bellos Associates.

Radio, TV, and writing

Bellos is a regular guest on radio and television programmes, contributing to discussions on many topics including equality, human rights and feminism.

As an author, she has contributed to a number of anthologies, including IC3: The Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain. [12]

Personal life

In 1970 she married Jonathan Bellos, they had two children, in 1974 and 1976. She came out as a lesbian in 1980, and her marriage ended in divorce in 1983. [1] [2] Linda left her children to live in an all-female commune. [13]

On 21 December 2005, Bellos and her partner, Caroline Jones, entered into a civil partnership: [14] Caroline died in 2015. [15] In 2020, Bellos entered into a civil partnership with Marian Davis. [15]

Awards

On 9 December 2002, Bellos was presented (together with Stephen Bourne) with the Metropolitan Police Volunteer Awards "in recognition of outstanding contribution in supporting the local community."

In 2006, she was awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year's Honours for services to diversity. [7] She was reticent about receiving the award because she considers its association with a defunct Empire as outdated and the Honour should be renamed. She was encouraged to accept it by her family. [16] [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">London Borough of Lambeth</span> London borough in United Kingdom

Lambeth is a London borough in South London, England, which forms part of Inner London. Its name was recorded in 1062 as Lambehitha and in 1255 as Lambeth. The geographical centre of London is at Frazier Street near Lambeth North tube station, though nearby Charing Cross on the other side of the Thames in the City of Westminster is traditionally considered the centre of London.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stonewall (charity)</span> UK-based charity and advocacy group for LGBT rights

Stonewall Equality Limited, trading as Stonewall, is a lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) rights charity in the United Kingdom. It is the largest LGBT rights organisation in Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jennette Arnold</span>

Jennette Arnold, OBE is a Labour Co-op politician who served as chair of the London Assembly for five terms. From 2004 to 2021, Arnold represented the North East constituency, comprising the London Boroughs of Hackney, Islington and Waltham Forest.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Angela Mason</span> British civil servant and activist

Angela Margaret Mason is a British civil servant and activist, and a former director of the UK-based lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender lobbying organisation Stonewall. She is a former Chair of the Fawcett Society, a UK women's rights campaigning organisation and a Labour Party councillor in Camden.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sue Sanders</span> British LGBT+ rights activist

Sue Louise Sanders is Emeritus Professor Harvey Milk Institute 2015. She is, an "out and proud" lesbian, a British LGBT rights activist who has specialized in challenging oppression in the public and voluntary sectors for over forty years.

The Equality and Human Rights Commission (EHRC) is a non-departmental public body in Great Britain, established by the Equality Act 2006 with effect from 1 October 2007. The Commission has responsibility for the promotion and enforcement of equality and non-discrimination laws in England, Scotland and Wales. It took over the responsibilities of the Commission for Racial Equality, the Equal Opportunities Commission and the Disability Rights Commission. The EHRC also has responsibility for other aspects of equality law: age, sexual orientation and religion or belief. A national human rights institution, it seeks to promote and protect human rights throughout Great Britain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Margaret Prosser, Baroness Prosser</span>

Margaret Theresa Prosser, Baroness Prosser, is a Labour life peer and former trade unionist.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lambeth London Borough Council</span> Local authority in Greater London, England

Lambeth London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Lambeth in Greater London, England. It is a London borough council, and one of the 32 in the United Kingdom capital of London. The council meets at Lambeth Town Hall in Brixton. Lambeth is divided into 25 wards: thirteen are represented by 3 councillors and twelve are represented by 2. The council was first elected in 1964.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Christine Burns</span> British political activist

Christine Burns is a British political activist best known for her work with Press for Change and, more recently, as an internationally recognised health adviser. Burns was awarded an MBE in 2005 in recognition of her work representing transgender people. In 2011, she ranked 35th on the Independent on Sunday's annual Pink List of influential lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Julie Bindel</span> English radical feminist writer (born 1962)

Julie Bindel is an English radical feminist writer. She is also co-founder of the law reform group Justice for Women, which has aimed to help women who have been prosecuted for assaulting or killing violent male partners.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Meral Hussein-Ece, Baroness Hussein-Ece</span> British politician (born 1955)

Meral Hussein Ece, Baroness Hussein-Ece, is a British Liberal Democrat member of the House of Lords. She is the first woman of Turkish Cypriot origin to be a member of either house of Parliament after she was appointed a Liberal Democrat working peer on 28 May 2010. She was the Liberal Democrat Spokeswoman for Equalities from 2015 until 2016, under leader Tim Farron.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steve Reed (politician)</span> British Labour and Co-operative politician

Steven Mark Ward Reed is a British politician who has been Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since September 2023. A member of the Labour and Co-operative Party, he has been Member of Parliament (MP) for Croydon North since a 2012 by-election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Phyll Opoku-Gyimah</span> English human rights campaigner (born 1974)

Phyllis Akua Opoku-Gyimah, also known as Lady Phyll, is a British political activist known for her work for racial, gender and LGBT+ equality. She is Co-Founder and Chief Executive of UK Black Pride and former executive director of Kaleidoscope Trust.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Marsha de Cordova</span> British Labour politician

Marsha Chantal de Cordova is a British politician serving as Member of Parliament (MP) for Battersea since 2017. A member of the Labour Party, she was a Member of Lambeth London Borough Council from 2014 to 2018.

Patrick Philip Vernon is a British social commentator and political activist of Jamaican heritage, who works in the voluntary and public sector. He is a former Labour councillor in the London Borough of Hackney. His career has been involved with developing and managing health and social care services, including mental health, public health, regeneration and employment projects. Also a film maker and amateur cultural historian, he runs his own social enterprise promoting the history of diverse communities, as founder of Every Generation and the "100 Great Black Britons" campaign. He is also an expert on African and Caribbean genealogy in the UK. He was appointed a Clore Fellow in 2007, an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for "services to the Reduction of Health Inequalities for Ethnic Minorities", and in 2018 was awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Wolverhampton.

Barbara Yvonne Veronica Burford was a British medical researcher, civil servant and writer. She was born in Jamaica and moved to the United Kingdom at the age of 10. Burford attended Dalston County Grammar School and studied medicine at the University of London.

Uzoamaka Linda Iwobi FLSW is a British-Nigerian solicitor and equalities practitioner. She is the former Specialist Policy Adviser on Equalities to the Welsh Government, an Honorary Fellow at the University of Wales Trinity St David and founder, secretary and former chief executive officer at Race Council Cymru. She is also Vice President of the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Saima Razzaq is a British political activist and educator, co-chair of SEEDS and Head of Diversity and Inclusion for Birmingham Pride. Razzaq actively campaigns for LGBT inclusive education in schools and was the first Muslim woman to lead a Pride parade in Britain.

Joke Swiebel is a Dutch political scientist, and a former policy maker, politician and activist. Since the 1960s, she has been involved with the feminist and LGBT movements. She served as first chair of the Federation of Student Working Groups on Homosexuality and on the board of the COC Nederland while a student. In the former capacity, she was one of the organizers of the first LGB demonstration in the Netherlands — and probably all of Europe — which was held on 21 January 1969. It was a protest against a discriminatory provision in the Criminal Code, introduced in 1911, that set a significantly higher age of consent for homosexual than for heterosexual contact.After earning her master's degree in 1972 from the University of Amsterdam, she led the political science library at that institution until 1977. She was involved in the creation of the women's studies program at the university and worked to coordinate between activist groups to ensure that neither gender or sexual orientation were the basis for discriminatory policies.

References

  1. 1 2 "Bellos, Linda Ann - WHO'S WHO & WHO WAS WHO". www.ukwhoswho.com. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U245559. ISBN   978-0-19-954088-4.
  2. 1 2 Mason-John, Valerie (1995). Talking Black: Lesbians of African and Asian Descent Speak Out. Cassell. p. xv.
  3. ↑ "In Conversation with Linda Bellos". NUS Connect. Retrieved 12 December 2020.
  4. ↑ Linda Bellos: Education at LinkedIn.
  5. ↑ Anthony, Andrew (15 February 2006). "Yes, we were bloody angry". The Guardian . ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  6. ↑ Guest, Katy (12 February 2006). "Whatever happened to feminism's extreme sects?". The Independent . Retrieved 20 January 2023.
  7. 1 2 3 Fear, Bryon (5 February 2012). "LGBT History Month 2012 | UK | LGBT Heroes | Linda Bellos | polarimagazine.com". Polari Magazine. Retrieved 26 February 2019.
  8. 1 2 3 Woodward, Will (29 December 2006). "OBE to fighter for equality". The Guardian. London. ISSN   0261-3077 . Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  9. ↑ Laughland, Oliver (30 September 2011). "The conversation: Why black history matters". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  10. ↑ "Linda Bellos". linkedIn. Retrieved 24 February 2020.
  11. ↑ Muir, Hugh (6 December 2011). "Angry Britain: why are we becoming so intolerant?". The Guardian. Retrieved 9 April 2020.
  12. ↑ Newland, Courttia; Kadija George, eds. (2001). IC3 : the Penguin book of new black writing in Britain. London: Penguin. ISBN   0-14-028733-7. OCLC   47063413.
  13. ↑ Anthony, Andrew (15 February 2006). "Yes, we were bloody angry". The Guardian– via www.theguardian.com.
  14. ↑ "Where are they now: Linda Bellos | Total Politics". Archived from the original on 29 March 2016. Retrieved 20 March 2014.
  15. 1 2 "Bellos, Linda Ann, (born 13 Dec. 1950), equality and diversity practitioner, since 2001; Chair, Institute of Equality and Diversity Practitioners, 2009–14". Who's Who 2022 . Oxford University Press. 1 December 2021. Retrieved 7 June 2022.
  16. ↑ "MBE for 80-year-old shoe shiner". BBC News. 30 December 2006. Retrieved 30 September 2010.
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.