28 Facts About Linda Bellos

Linda Bellos was elected to Lambeth Borough Council in London in 1985 and was the leader of the council from 1986 to 1988.

Linda Bellos is a radical feminist and was the first non-white lesbian to join the Spare Rib feminist collective in 1981.

Linda Bellos criticises the movement's "point scoring" and the manner in which the women's movement was, in her view, dominated by white, middle-class women.

Linda Bellos rejects the term "mixed race" because she considers that every attempt to define race is reduced to definitions of skin colour.

Linda Bellos is a person of African and Eastern European Jewish heritage.

Linda Bellos uses the inclusive political term of "Black" to describe herself.

Linda Bellos was vice-chair of the successful Labour Party Black Sections campaign to select African, Caribbean and Asian parliamentary and local candidates within the Labour Party.

Linda Bellos was elected as a Labour councillor for Larkhall ward on Lambeth London Borough Council in 1985.

Linda Bellos was leader of the council between 1986 and 1988.

Linda Bellos was the second Black woman to become leader of a British local authority, after Merle Amory in the northwest London Borough of Brent.

Linda Bellos resigned as leader on 21 April 1988, after disputes within the Labour Party over the setting of the council budget.

Linda Bellos 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".

Linda Bellos attempted to become a parliamentary candidate, without success, most notably for Vauxhall, south London, in the Lambeth borough, where there was a by-election in 1989, following the resignation of Stuart Holland MP.

Linda Bellos was the treasurer of the Africa Reparations Movement.

Linda Bellos was co-chair of the Southwark LGBT Network until February 2007 and an adviser to Southwark Council.

Linda Bellos co-founded Design for Diversity with Dr Tony Malone in 2004.

Linda Bellos continues a close friendship with Tony despite their differing views on trans-rights.

Linda Bellos notably originated Black History Month in the UK whilst chair of the London Strategic Policy Unit.

Linda Bellos has worked on mainstreaming equality within many public bodies, including the British Army and the Metropolitan Police Service.

Linda Bellos was an Independent Advisor to the Metropolitan Police, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Linda Bellos is a founder member and former Chair of The Institute of Equality and Diversity Practitioners.

Linda Bellos provides equality, diversity and human rights consultancy and training services to the UK's commercial, public and not-for-profit sectors.

Linda Bellos is a regular guest on radio and television programmes, contributing to discussions on many topics including equality, human rights and feminism.

Linda Bellos came out as a lesbian in 1980, and her marriage ended in divorce in 1983.

Linda Bellos left her children to live in an all-female commune.

In 2020, Linda Bellos entered into a civil partnership with Marian Davis.

Linda Bellos was reticent about receiving the honour because she considers its association with a defunct Empire as outdated and that it should be renamed.

Linda Bellos was encouraged to accept it by her family.