Lurline Champagnie OBE, (born 1935/1936 in Jamaica),[1] is a British politician who became the first black woman to stand as a parliamentary candidate for the Conservative Party in the 1992 United Kingdom general election, losing to future Labour Party leader, Jeremy Corbyn. She was a Mayor in the London Borough of Harrow, and a councillor for the Pinner ward, being the first black person to hold these positions.[2]

Biography

Born in Jamaica, Champagnie emigrated to Britain in 1956.[2][3] She was first employed in London as a punch operator.[4] She trained as a nurse at Mount Vernon Hospital,[2][3][5] including time in the burns and plastic surgery unit.[2] After travelling to the US on a scholarship in 1964, she became aware of the possible supports available for women after mastectomies.[5] She worked for a prosthesis supplier, and then ran her own business catering for post-mastectomy patients.[5]

She began her political career at the 1982 Tory party conference declaring: "I am Conservative, black and British, and I'm proud of all three",[2][3][4][6][7] for which she received a standing ovation.[3][4][6][7] At the 1984 Tory party conference, Champagnie was caught up in the Brighton bombing, and as a trained nurse, was able to administer help to the victims.[2]

In 1986, she was elected as a councillor for the ward of Pinner, thus becoming the first black councillor in the London Borough of Harrow.[4] She represented Pinner until 2010.[2] In 1992, when Champagnie stood for election to Parliament in Islington North, she became the first black woman to stand as a parliamentary candidate for the Conservatives.[3][8][9][10] In 2004, Champagnie became the first black Mayor of Harrow,[2] and in 2005 was runner-up in Britain's "Mayor of the Year Award".[11]

In 2008, Champagnie became part of the Government Equalities Office cross-party task force in aid of black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) women.[11][1]

In December 2009, Champagnie was appointed an OBE in the Queen's 2010 New Year Honours list.[2][1]

Personal life

Champagnie and her husband Clive have three sons.[3][4]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c Rebecca Lowe (3 January 2010). "'Singing mayor' celebrates OBE in style". Harrow Times. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Tristin Kirk (31 December 2009). "Cllr Lurline Champagnie given OBE in New Year Honours". Harrow Times. Retrieved 29 December 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Young, Robin (23 October 1990). "First black woman to fight for Tories". The Times. No. 63844. London, England. p. 3.
  4. ^ a b c d e Clancy, Ray (24 October 1990). "Tory aiming for a place in history". The Times. No. 63845. London, England. p. 3.
  5. ^ a b c Nowicka, Pamela (6 May 1987). "Bringing back a smile". The Guardian. London, England. p. 10. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  6. ^ a b Back, Les; Solomos, John (2002). Race, Politics and Social Change. Routledge. p. 159. ISBN 9781134885268. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  7. ^ a b Hardman, Robert (12 October 1995). "Favourite supplies usual fizz". The Daily Telegraph. No. 43641. London, England. p. 6.
  8. ^ "Chronology for Afro-Caribbeans in the United Kingdom". UNHCR. 2004. Retrieved 29 December 2019. Mar 19, 1992: Lurline Champagnie becomes the first black female Conservative candidate for parliament.
  9. ^ Teeman, Tim (26 February 1995). "A woman's place is round the table". The Independent. London. Retrieved 22 May 2009.
  10. ^ Vita, Matthew C. (21 September 1991). "Political Potpourri. Minorities in Conservative Party reflect changing face of Britain". The Atlanta Constitution. Atlanta, Georgia, US. p. 16. Retrieved 30 December 2019.
  11. ^ a b Andrew Rosindell (30 January 2009). "Search for 100 Peers: Lurline Champagnie (Nomination by Andrew Rosindell MP)". Conservative Party. Retrieved 29 December 2019.

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