Ivy Inez Joshua was a Grenadian-born seamstress and politician, who was the first woman elected to serve in the Legislative Council of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines when universal suffrage was granted.
21 Facts About Ivy Joshua
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Ivy Joshua served in the legislature from 1958 to 1979 and simultaneously on the Executive Council from 1960 when she was appointed as the Minister of Social Services.
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Ivy Joshua served from 1961 to 1964 and again from 1967 to 1972 as a Minister without portfolio, before being appointed as Parliamentary Secretary and later leader of the opposition.
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Ivy Joshua Inez McQueen was born on 25 December 1924 in Grenada to Cecile McQueen.
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Charles and Ebenezer Ivy Joshua formed the political arm of the UWPRPU, which they called the Eighth Army of Liberation.
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Ivy Joshua was one of the key organizers of the movement, mobilizing workers to participate in the first elections after universal suffrage was granted on the island in 1951.
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Ivy Joshua was instrumental in assisting Ebenezer with the formation of the Federated Industrial Allied Workers Union, representing agricultural and waterfront workers, in 1952.
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Ivy Joshua walked from village to village with Ebenezer, presenting their plea for labor organization and decolonization.
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Ivy Joshua led strikes between 1951 and 1957 to gain recognition for the union and to improve the conditions of the workers, primarily in the sugar factories.
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On 24 September 1957, Ivy Joshua was confirmed as the assembly member for the North Windward Electoral District of Saint Vincent, becoming the first woman to serve in the island's Legislative Council.
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Ivy Joshua was appointed as Minister of Social Services, overseeing education and housing in 1960.
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Ivy Joshua was reelected for the same district in 1961, appointed as a Minister without portfolio and repeated the feat in 1964, winning by wide margins.
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Ivy Joshua was forced to resign her position in the cabinet in 1964, though she retained her legislative seat, when the Colonial Secretary, Duncan Sandys and George Thompson, MP of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom brought questions in the London Parliament over her handling of the Public Works Department.
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Ivy Joshua resigned, but was found guilty of irregularities and misuse of public funds.
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Cato alleged that Ivy Joshua was illiterate and without being able to read and write was incapable of understanding parliamentary procedure.
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Counter-charges were filed against SVLP member Levi Latham by Ebenezer Ivy Joshua, alleging he too was illiterate.
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In 1969, Ivy Joshua was arrested along with five other people and charged with conspiring to set fire to the Public Works Department.
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Ivy Joshua vehemently opposed forming another unity government and was appointed as leader of the opposition in February 1975.
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Ivy Joshua won her seat in six consecutive elections, each time winning by a substantial majority, amid staunch opposition and politically-based attacks.
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In 1986, Ivy Joshua was recognized by the National Council of Women of SVG for her pioneering role in politics and as an advocate for the working class.
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Ivy and Ebenezer Joshua were members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.