Gwendolyn Enid "Gee" Bernard[1] (1934 – 6 December 2016) was the first Black councillor for Croydon in London for the Labour Party.[2][3]

Bernard was born in 1934 in Jamaica. She later moved to England and studied at the University of North London and East London College, qualifying as a social worker. In 1980, she worked in the education department of Tower Hamlets Council[2] and was elected a member of the Inner London Education Authority (ILEA) in 1981.[4] In 1996, she was elected to Croydon Council for West Thornton ward, and was its councillor for 16 years. She was founder of the Croydon African Caribbean Family Association in 1993.[2][5]

She died on 6 December 2016.[6]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Trustees". Croydon African Caribbean Family Organisation UK. 2 January 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  2. ^ a b c "Hon Alderwoman Gee Bernard". Your Croydon. 9 December 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  3. ^ Simon (8 December 2016). "Gee Bernard: Croydon's great Black activist dies". Operation Black Vote. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  4. ^ Bernard, Gee (March 2009). "Interview with Gee Bernard". Oral Histories of the Black Women's Movement: The Heart of the Race Project (Interview). Interviewed by Bryan, Beverley; Dadzie, Stella; Scafe, Suzanne. London, UK: Black Cultural Archives. Archived from the original on 16 February 2023. Retrieved 16 February 2023.
  5. ^ "Croydon pioneer Gee Bernard will be sorely missed". Inside Croydon. 10 December 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
  6. ^ Sinclair, Leah (14 December 2016). "Croydon's First Black Councillor Passes Away". The Voice. Archived from the original on 16 December 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2024.