THE Women and Gender Equality Commission (WGEC) on Friday officially launched its Online Women’s Hall of Fame with the honouring of 25 heroines/sheros, including Andaiye and Magda Lois Muriel Pollard CCH,AA and the matriarch of the WGEC, both of whom died recently.

At the commencement of the programme which was held in the Conferenece Room of the National Library, a minute’s silence was observed in honour of Pollard and Andaiye.
Delivering the opening remarks, Chairperson of the WGEC, Indranie Chandarpal, said the honorees were selected from during the pre-independence period to present, but that the 25 names in no way represents the number of women who deserve to be honoured.
Chief Executive Officer of the WGEC, Diana Swan-Lawrence, individually announced the names of the honorees and read a citation; IT specialist Samuel Reid, who was responsible for creating the organisation’s online Women’s Hall of Fame, displayed the respective photo along with a bio.

Andaiye, whose name means “daughter come home,” is one of Guyana’s and the Caribbean’s leading thinkers and women’s rights advocates; one whose activism is rooted in the interaction of class, race/ethnicity and gender. A founding member of the Red Thread organisation, her advocacy for the recognition of unwaged, low-waged women’s work and the upholding of women’s and children’s rights is consistent and enduring. Her involvement in politics began in her early 20s.

Andaiye served as a coordinator for the Working People’s Alliance (WPA) party and has edited some of the works of Clive Thomas and the late Walter Rodney. In 1992 she was awarded the Golden Arrow of Achievement(A.A.) by the Government of Guyana. She has also helped to prepare Ministers of Women’s Affairs for the 1995 Beijing Conference on Women, and worked briefly as Special Adviser to the CARICOM Secretary-General on Women and Gender.

The late Magda Pollard is recognised both nationally and internationally for her firm commitment to women’s rights and the rights of the girlchild. She was awarded the CARICOM Triennial Award for Contribution to the Caribbean Women’s Movement in 1993 and the Special Award from the Caribbean Association of Home Economists in 1995. In 1996, a national award, the Golden Arrow of Achievement, was conferred on her.
In the sphere of Home Economics, Ms Pollard had held many posts, including Principal of the Carnegie School of Home Economics(1962-1978); lecturer at the University of Guyana (1975-1977; member and consultant for the Caribbean Home Economics Association and Chairperson for the CXC Home Economics Panel (1975-1985). She is credited with the publication of “Teaching Home Economics in the Caribbean” and “What’s Cooking in Guyana.”

She, between 1980 and up to the time of her recent demise, played a significant role in the sphere of women and development, as an administrator, consultant and adviser. She was also a commissioner on the Constitutional Commission for Women and Gender Equality.
The other honourees, some of whom are deceased, are: Gertie Wood, President of the Circle of Sunshine Workers, an organisation founded in 1931 and located at 110, Regent Road, Bourda. She was the pioneer for women’s rights.

Jane Phillips-Gay was one of the first African-Guyanese women to enter the British Guiana legislature. Elected as the first General-Secretary of the Guyana Industrial Workers Union, she toured the sugar estates and fought many battles on behalf of workers. In 1953, she was a candidate at the General Elections and won the constituency in the sugar belt with tremendous support from the sugar workers. In the stormy days of 1961, Jane led her women in protest. She helped to form and nurture the Women’s Auxiliary arm of the People’s National Congress (PNC).

Janet Jagan who was born in the USA was married to the late Dr Cheddi Jagan, former Executive President of Guyana. She was deeply concerned about the life and situation of the people under colonial rule, and with her husband formed the People’s Progressive Party in 1950. She served as the general- secretary until 1970. In 1997, Mrs Jagan was appointed prime minister and then became the first female Executive President of Guyana, serving from December 19, 1997 to August 11,1999. She received the Order of Excellence (OE) and the Ghandi Gold Medal for peace, among other awards for her outstanding work in the promotion and advancement of women.

Viola Victorine Burnham, familiarly known as “Vi,”was married to the late President Linden Forbes Sampson Burnham. A champion of women’s rights, she led Guyana’s delegation to the World Conference of the UN Decade for Women in Mexico in 1975. At that conference, she signed the Convention to Eliminate All Forms Of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). She was awarded a national honour, the Order of Roraima. As a politician, she was the first woman to be appointed Vice- President and deputy prime minister with responsibility for Social Development and Culture and was also responsible for setting up SIMAP.

Philomena Sahoye-Shury, earned the nickname “Fireball” for her feisty style during the independence struggles, in defence of union rights for sugar workers
Born at Den Amsel, West Coast Demerara, she began showing interest in politics and women’s affairs when she met Mrs Jagan. She believes that politics should be the same for both men and women. Her advice to young Guyanese women is, “The sky is the limit. Education is not only important, it is vital. Set realistic goals and standards and try to maintain good ethics, morals and values. The door is now wide open for women to take their rightful place in the socio-economic and political development of the country.”
Differently-abled Odessa Alexis Blair, 37, is a single mother of two, aged six and 16 years. She became blind while pregnant with her last child. Odessa, on the encouragement of friends, joined the Guyana Society for the Blind where he began interacting with other persons. She commenced her studies for the 2013 programme using the Jobs Access With Speech (JAWS) software application on her laptop that she acquired from the One Laptop Per Family programme.

Odessa, who wrote five subjects at CSEC and obtained Grade 2 in all, is currently pursuing her Bachelor’s Degree in Social Work at the University of Guyana.

Vilma Da Silva of Jacklow Pomeroon is a councillor on the Regional Democratic Council in Region Two, a Director on the Guyana Marketing Board and Founder/Leader of the Pomeroon Women Agro-Processing Association. The latter won the first prize in Barbados in 2011 for the most sustainable group in the Caribbean.

Da Silva, who owns Henvil Farm, is presently involved in exporting coconut water under the brand of HYDS and supplies her product to Sterling Products Limited, along with other crops.

Paulette Jacobs Allicock is a proud Makushi woman and mother of five from Annai, North Rupununi. She co-founded the Makushi Research Unit (MRU), an indigenous women-led group which is recognised nationally and internationally. The MRU coordinator is also a facilitator in leadership, parenting and advocates and educates for the prevention of Domestic Violence and Trafficking in Persons (TIPs).

The late Desrey Caesar-Fox is from the Akawaio nation of Indigenous Peoples in Guyana. A national icon, she served as Minister within the Ministry of Education, championing languages, culture, music and choirs in schools. The late Caesar-Fox is a powerful example to all Amerindian and young Amerindian women in particular, of proudly affirming and promoting the richness and value of the country’s traditional culture, knowledge and heritage.

Bernadette Indira Persaud, is a Berbician who believes that the women’s movement , in general, has made us all the more conscious about discrimination against women/minorities– in life and in art. She however, has not been overly influenced by any local movement and believes that women, artists and citizens should all contribute to shaping a moral and just society.

Joycelynne Eleanor Loncke, is an accomplished Guyanese whose roots are in music, coming from a family in which both of her parents are musicians. She plays the violin, piano, cello and tenor pan and is renowned for her piano recitals in Guyana, the Caribbean and farther afield.

Margery Kirkpatrick, deceased, was noted for her outstanding legacy in her local promotion of Chinese culture and was an active member of the Chinese Association and a founding member of the Woodside Choir. Kirkpatrick was recognised and awarded the Medal of Service in 1984; the Woman of Distinction2002 and the Mother of the Year in 2005.
Claudette Izel Humphrey nee Masdammer was the first female Olympian from then British Guiana, representing the country at the 1956 Olympic Summer Games in Melbourne, Australia, while a student of the Tutorial High School; she had entered “Tutorial” on an athletic scholarship. Her ability was recognised by the Castello brothers, founders of the school. In 1960, she became a student nurse at the Georgetown Hospital. While studying in London she met and married a fellow Guyanese who was a naval soldier in the British navy. Mother to three children born in England, Singapore and Hong Kong, Claudette in 1965 enrolled in a midwifery course in Hong Kong. She has been credited in delivering 50 babies.
Sister Mary Noel Menezes (RSM), who was born in Guyana in 1930, is the first member of the religious Order of the Sisters of Mercy (RSM). She is a prominent Caribbean historian and educator, and has achieved the highest academic distinction, serving as a role model for women pursuing academic careers.

June Ramsammy is a humble woman who blazed a trail for women in Guyana, and quietly bore the banner as the first woman in Guyana to be appointed to a number of prominent positions in both her private and professional life.

Matilda Saigo, who is from Paramakatoi Village, North Pakaraimas in Region Eight, considers herself a true Patamona and is proudly recognised as a matriarch of her village. She has also been honoured nationally for her years of service to Guyana in the medical profession. Miss Saigo also currently serves on the Indigenous Peoples Commission, a constitutional rights body reporting to Parliament.

Other honourees who were cited were Sheila Holder; Kowsilla; Eileen Cox ; Desiree Bernard, Diane Mc Turk; Jean La Rose and Josephine Whitehead
Tributes to Andaiye were read by Wintress White , representing Red Thread; Wasir Mohamed and Nigel Westmaas, while the tributes for Magda Pollard were delivered by Chandarpal, Vanda Radzik, Commissioner, WGEC ; Roberta Clarke and Gigi Pollard, on behalf of the Pollard family.

The names of Andaiye and Pollard, it was noted, will always be remembered when the history of women’s activism in Guyana is recorded.`
Earlier, Chandarpal, in a brief review leading up to the launch, said that it has its origin during Guyana’s preparation for the Beijing conference. Then, it was discovered that there was a paucity of information on Guyanese women who were known to have been champions in a number of areas.

A decision was then taken and starting in 1995, research started which led to the publication of a magazine titled “Women Power,” followed by “Women in Focus,” a book in which an attempt to examine the lives of women and recognise their contributions in society. With the establishment of the WGEC, a decision was taken in 2011 to begin honouring women in the month of March– that included Guyanese women, as well as some in the international area.

She noted that women all over the world have played an important role in different aspects of development.

At the inception, the display of the honourees was done in the corridor of Parliament Building; on the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Guyana’s independence, the display was held at the Arthur Chung Conference Centre, when the contributions of 50 women were highlighted.

She sees recognition of the women as serving as a motivation for the younger generation.