Gee Bernard Explained

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 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.^[5]

She died on 6 December 2016.^[6]

See also

• Jay Bernard (writer), grandchild of Gee Bernard

Notes and References

1. Web site: Trustees . Croydon African Caribbean Family Organisation UK . 11 February 2024 . 2 January 2017.
2. News: Hon Alderwoman Gee Bernard . 11 February 2024 . Your Croydon . 9 December 2016.
3. Web site: Simon . Gee Bernard: Croydon's great Black activist dies . . 11 February 2024 . 8 December 2016.
4. Bernard . Gee . Bryan . Beverley . Beverley Bryan . Dadzie . Stella . Stella Dadzie . Scafe . Suzanne . Interview with Gee Bernard . 16 February 2023 . Oral Histories of the Black Women's Movement: The Heart of the Race Project . March 2009 . . https://web.archive.org/web/20230216145422/https://collections.blackculturalarchives.org/repositories/2/archival_objects/1784 . 16 February 2023 . London, UK . live.
5. News: Croydon pioneer Gee Bernard will be sorely missed . 11 February 2024 . Inside Croydon . 10 December 2016.
6. News: Sinclair . Leah . Croydon's First Black Councillor Passes Away . 11 February 2024 . . 14 December 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161216140455/http://voice-online.co.uk/article/croydons-first-black-councillor-passes-away . 16 December 2016.