Black History Month: Gertrude Paul

To celebrate Black History Month, FWN are publishing a series of articles on inspiring black women from History. Rachael Lotus writes about Gertrude Paul.

Gertrude Paul was born in St Kitts and moved to Leeds in 1956.

Despite being a qualified teacher already, she was required to complete British qualifications which she did by the early 1960s and became Leeds’ first black teacher.

In 1976 she became the first black headteacher in the city, leading Elmhurst Middle School

A natural community builder, she was one of the founders of the Leeds West Indian Carnival, which is one of the longest running West Indian carnivals in Europe and the longest running in the UK.

She was a co-founder and president of the United Caribbean Association in Leeds, and also served on the Commission for Racial Equality.

Her daughter, Heather Paul, a university lecturer said:

My mother refused to give up when faced with obstacles and rejection, her message which I now pass on to my students is to always remember that you are a valuable human with potential to do your best. Be proud of your individual identity and ensure that the people you go on to work with know that they are valued too.”