Linda Bellos

Linda Bellos OBE (b. 1950) is a British black, Jewish, lesbian activist and former London politician.

Personal life

Bellos was born to a Jewish mother and a Nigerian born father, and raised in Brixton. She married in 1970 and gave birth to two children, in 1974 and 1976, but "came out" in 1980. Her marriage ended in divorce in 1983. She is now a grandmother.

On 21 December 2005, she and her partner, Caroline Jones, were among the first couples to sign a Civil partnership in the UK. The ceremony took place among family and friends at Southwark Registry Office.

Feminism

Bellos was the first mixed-race woman to join the Spare Rib feminist collective in 1981.

Politics

She was vice-chair of the successful Black Section 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 Council and became 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, and losing support among black people in Lambeth. 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.

Bellos is the treasurer of the [http://www.arm.arc.co.uk Africa Reparations Movement (UK)] . She was co-chair of the [http://www.southwark-lgbt.org Southwark LGBT Network] until February 2007 and an adviser to Southwark Council and the Metropolitan Police. She is the Chair of the Southwark Action for Voluntary Organisations ( [http://www.savo.org.uk SAVO] ). She is a patron of [http://www.cooltanarts.org.uk Cooltan Arts] .

Equality

She has accomplished many firsts in her fight for equality, notably originating Black History Month in the UK, while chair of the London Strategic Policy Unit.

Bellos works on mainstreaming equality and diversity within the British Army and the Metropolitan Police Service. She is an Independent Advisor to the Metropolitan Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Association of Chief Police Officers, and acts in a scrutiny role on equality and diversity issues for a number of public bodies.

Consulting

Bellos now runs her own consultancy, [http://www.diversity-solutions.com Diversity Solutions LTD] , together with her partner, Caroline Jones, providing solutions to improve equality and diversity outcomes within the commercial, public and voluntary sectors.They recently joined designers Tony Malone and John Marsh to create the venture [http://www.designfordiversity.eu Design for Diversity] .

Awards

On 9 December 2002, she 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 Years Honours for services to diversity. She was reticent to receive the award, due to its name's associations with colonialism, but was encouraged to accept it by her family [http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/6217117.stm] [http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1980248,00.html] .

Radio, TV, and writing

Bellos is a regular guest contributor to radio and television programmes.

As an author, she has contributed to a number of anthologies, including "IC3," the "Penguin Book of New Black Writing in Britain", ISBN 0-14-028733-7.

Published online

* [http://www.arm.arc.co.uk/reparationsForAfrica.html Reparations for Africa] - 26 October 1995
* [http://www.publicservice.co.uk/pdf/dti/6/DTI6%200308%20Linda%20Bellos%20ATL.pdf Part of core business] (pdf) - August 2003
* [http://www.gusjohnpartnership.com/rsc/Linda%20Bellos'%20Letter%20to%20CRE%20on%20DfES%20White%20Paper.pdf Letter to CRE on DfES White Paper] (pdf) - 03 November 2005
* [http://www.designfordiversity.eu/blog/2006/03/term-black-and-asian-short-history.html The term Black and Asian - a Short History] - 21 March 2006

External links

* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FdGF_C_Yi4 Profile on YouTube]
* [http://www.savo.org.uk/Linda%20Bellos.htm Profile on SAVO website]
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/vote2001/hi/english/newsid_1360000/1360535.stm Call for action on diversity] BBC News - 4 June, 2001 (scroll down to bottom of page)
* [http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4739521.stm Crucial lessons on race and policing] BBC News - 3 August 2005
* [http://www.nut.org.uk/resources/word/PrideReport2005.doc Report of the 11th NUT Pride in Eductaion Conference] (word) 19 November 2005
* [http://www.lgbtgreens.org.uk/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=98 Lib Dems let down LGBT community in model 'gay friendly' council] Green Party LGBT News, 8 February 2007
* [http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/this_britain/article344143.ece Whatever happened to feminism's extreme sects?] The Independent, 12 February 2006
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/g2/story/0,,1709863,00.html 'Yes, we were bloody angry'] , The Guardian - 15 February 2006
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/lefties-clips.shtml Video clip from Lefties] - [http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/documentaries/features/lefties2.shtml Angry Wimmin] BBC Four, 17 May 2006
* [http://www.guardian.co.uk/guardianpolitics/story/0,,1980248,00.html OBE to fighter for equality] - The Guardian, 30 December 2006
* [http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/celebrity/article1417159.ece Best of Times, Worst of Times: Linda Bellos] - interview by Katharine Hibbert, Times Online, 25 February 2007