Gertrude Paul
Gertrude Maretta Paul (6 September 1934 –7 January 1992) was a teacher and advocate for the British Caribbean community in Yorkshire. She was the first black teacher in Leeds, and the city's first black headteacher.[1] She was one of the founders of the Leeds West Indian Carnival,[2][3] one of the longest running West Indian carnivals in Europe.[4] She was a co-founder and President of the United Caribbean Association in Leeds, and also served on the Commission for Racial Equality.[1]
She was born in in 1934 in Parson's Ground Village on the Caribbean island Saint Kitt's, and moved to Leeds, England in 1956.[2][1]
She died in January 1992, of a heart attack, in Saint Kitts.[1] A blue plaque commemorates her at the school she worked at, Elmhurst Middle School, now Bracken Edge Primary,[5] unveiled in 2011 by Leeds Civic Trust.[6] Paul was nominated for the plaque by members of Chapeltown Heritage Trust.[5]
References
- ^ a b c d Wainwright, Martin (24 January 1992). "Teacher to a Community: Obituary of Gertrude Paul.(Obituary)". The Guardian.
- ^ a b "Gertrude Maretta Paul blue plaque". openplaques.org. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
- ^ Riggio, Milla Cozart (2004-10-14). Carnival: Culture in Action – The Trinidad Experience. Routledge. p. 259. ISBN 9781134487806.
- ^ "Thousands attend Leeds Carnival". BBC News. 2013-08-27. Retrieved 2018-10-24.
- ^ a b "Much-loved Leeds teacher's legacy is set in stone". Retrieved 2018-10-24.
- ^ "Why Leeds should have more statues of pioneering women". Retrieved 2018-10-24.