Gerty Archimède (26 April 1909 – 15 April 1980) was a politician from
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
who served in the
French National Assembly
The National Assembly (, ) is the lower house of the Bicameralism, bicameral French Parliament under the French Fifth Republic, Fifth Republic, the upper house being the Senate (France), Senate (). The National Assembly's legislators are known ...
from 1946-1951. She was the first female lawyer to pass the
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
Bar and the second black woman elected to the French
National Assembly
In politics, a national assembly is either a unicameral legislature, the lower house of a bicameral legislature, or both houses of a bicameral legislature together. In the English language it generally means "an assembly composed of the repr ...
, shortly after
Eugénie Éboué-Tell.
Archimède was a lawyer, prominent member of the
Parti Communiste Guadeloupeen (PCG), founder and president of the Union des Femmes Guadeloupeennes, conseiller general from
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre (, ; ; ) is a communes of the Guadeloupe department, commune in the France, French overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the ''prefectures in France, pref ...
,
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
.
Biography
The oldest of a five children family, Gerty is the daughter of Justin Archimède, who was elected Mayor of
Morne-à-l'eau
Morne-à-l'Eau (; ) is a French commune, commune located in the department of Guadeloupe.
Events
In March or April each year since 1993, the town organises a crab festival which features crab races and many stalls selling crab-based dishes. In ...
back in 1923. Guadeloupean lawyer, she was the first woman member of the bar of Guadeloupe in 1939.
She had an active political career. in 1945, she is elected Departmental Councillor on the Social-Communist Proletarian group list before being elected deputy of
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
, as
PCF (
French Communist Party) group member from November 10, 1946 until 17 April 1951. She has been with
Eugenie Eboué-Tell, one of the two first women deputy in Guadeloupe. In 1948, she became a member of the French Communist Party, which designated her as its representative in numerous conference throughout the world.
In 1952, she returned to the bar in
Guadeloupe
Guadeloupe is an Overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department and region of France in the Caribbean. It consists of six inhabited islands—Basse-Terre Island, Basse-Terre, Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe, Grande-Terre, Marie-Galant ...
, then is elected in 1953 as Deputy of
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre (, ; ; ) is a communes of the Guadeloupe department, commune in the France, French overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the ''prefectures in France, pref ...
Mayor, Elie Chauferain, whilst continuing her activity as a lawyer, until she replaced him in 1956.
Feminist activist, she created in Guadeloupe a federation of the Union of the French Women: UFF ("Union des Femmes Françaises") (close to the
PCF) to support her effort to obtain the enforcement of social security and retirement right for women in Guadeloupe. She contributed actively to the transformation of the UFF federation into the Union of Guadeloupean Women ("Union des Femmes Guadeloupéennes" in French)
In August 1969 she met
Angela Davis, after arriving in Basse-Terre from
Cuba
Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...
by boat Davis and her friends have been arrested by French customs officers and had their passport confiscated. This encounter is related in Angela Davis' autobiography.
Tributes
The Gerty Archimède museum (French:
Musée Gerty Archimède) is settled in one of the house formerly inhabited by the guadeloupean personality since 1984; located 27 Maurice Marie street in
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre (, ; ; ) is a communes of the Guadeloupe department, commune in the France, French overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the ''prefectures in France, pref ...
, it has the ''
Maisons des Illustres'' certification since 2012.
A bronze statue has been inaugurated in her memory on 13 December 2002 on the maritime boulevard of
Basse-Terre
Basse-Terre (, ; ; ) is a communes of the Guadeloupe department, commune in the France, French overseas departments and regions of France, overseas department of Guadeloupe, in the Lesser Antilles. It is also the ''prefectures in France, pref ...
.
The Gerty Archimède street (
rue Gerty Archimède) in the
Paris 12th Arrondissement has been named after her in 2006, following a request from Parisians communist elected representatives.
In 2006, her nephew
Alain Foix, wrote a play ''"Pas de prison pour le vent"'' (=No prison for wind in English) inspired by her encounter with Angela Davis in Guadeloupe.
On 27 January 2007,
Ségolène Royal paid tribute to her during her election campaign.
On 14 January 2011, during the inauguration of a new amphitheater at the
UAG in the city of
Saint-Claude, the jury reveals the results after a referendum announcing Gerty Archimède will be the Caribbean personality the building will be named after.
See also
*
First women lawyers around the world
References
External links
1st page on the French National Assembly website2nd page on the French National Assembly website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Archimède, Gerty
1909 births
1980 deaths
People from Morne-à-l'Eau
Guadeloupean politicians
Guadeloupean women in politics
French Communist Party politicians
Deputies of the 1st National Assembly of the French Fourth Republic
French socialist feminists