Marion Bethel
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Marion Bethel (born 31 July 1953) is an attorney, poet, essayist, filmmaker, human and gender rights activist, and writer from
Nassau Nassau may refer to: Places Bahamas *Nassau, Bahamas, capital city of the Bahamas, on the island of New Providence Canada *Nassau District, renamed Home District, regional division in Upper Canada from 1788 to 1792 *Nassau Street (Winnipeg), ...
,
The Bahamas The Bahamas (), officially the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, is an island country within the Lucayan Archipelago of the West Indies in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic. It takes up 97% of the Lucayan Archipelago's land area and is home to ...
.Maura, Matt
"Marion Bethel to Receive 'prestigious Regional Award' for Women"
Bahamas Information Services, The Government of the Bahamas. 16 June 2016. Web. 5 April 2017.
Bethel is best known for her anthologies of poems, ''Guanahani, My Love'' and ''Bougainvillea Ringplay''. Her work has appeared in publications including ''The Caribbean Writer'' , ''
The Massachusetts Review ''The Massachusetts Review'' is a literary quarterly founded in 1959 by a group of professors from Amherst College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst. It receives financial support from Five Col ...
'' and ''Junction'', an anthology of Bahamian writing. She is also recognized for her documentary film on the
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
movement in The Bahamas called ''Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights & Democracy 1934 to 1962'', which received the 2012 Award in Documentary at the Urban Suburban International Film Festivall. Her passion in her involvement in the Women's Movement in the Caribbean has awarded her the 11th
Caribbean Community The Caribbean Community (CARICOM or CC) is an intergovernmental organization that is a political and economic union of 15 member states (14 nation-states and one dependency) throughout the Caribbean. They have primary objectives to promote econom ...
(CARICOM) award in 2014. Bethel has also received the Casa de Las Americas Prize for poetry, and has spoken at many events, including The IV International Poetry Festival of Granada.Poynting, Jeremy
"Marion Bethel"
Peepal Tree Press, 1 January 1970. Web. 5 April 2017.
"Marion Bethel"
Bahamas 2017 IWES. IWES, 23 October 1970. Web. 6 April 2017.
She currently resides with her husband Alfred Sears in The Bahamas, where she is a managing partner at Sears & Co. She now focuses on political activism in civil society in The Bahamas and began serving on the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and international security, security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be ...
Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) on 1 January 2017.Mitchell, Fredrick
"BETHEL ELECTED TO CEDAW FOUR-YEAR TERM"
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration - Bahamas. Ministry of Foreign Affairs, 22 June 2016. Web. 6 April 2017.


Early life and education

After receiving her Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish with honors at
McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Founded in 1821 by royal charter granted by King George IV,Frost, Stanley Brice. ''McGill Universit ...
, Bethel received her Bachelor of Arts degree in law at Wolfson College, Cambridge University. While in
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
, she pursued her certificate of legal education at the
Council of Legal Education The Council of Legal Education (CLE) was an English supervisory body established by the four Inns of Court to regulate and improve the legal education of barristers within England and Wales. History The Council was established in 1852 by the Inns ...
and later pursued her Master of Arts Degree at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
. Before taking her bar examinations in 1987, Bethel spent a summer writing a collections of poems later to be published as ''Guanahani, My Love'' (originally ''Guanahani, mi amor: Y otros poemas'') which won the prestigious Casa de Las Americas Prize of Poetry, making her one of the few
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...
writers to receive this award.Aguilo, Maria Del Carmen Quintero. "Review: Bougainvillea Ringplay." ''Caribbean Studies'' 42.1 (2014): 291–96. JSTOR.


Later life

While working on her first manuscript ''Guanahani, My Love'', Bethel attended the Caribbean Writers Summer Institute at the
University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
in 1991, where she worked with two well known Barbadian writers,
George Lamming George William Lamming OCC (8 June 19274 June 2022) was a Barbadian novelist, essayist, and poet. He first won critical acclaim for ''In the Castle of My Skin'', his 1953 debut novel. He also held academic posts, including as a distinguished v ...
and Kamau Braithwaite.Nixon, Arthia
"Bahamas Consulate & Marion Bethel Enlighten Atlanta on Women’s Suffrage Movement at Spelman College and Allen Institute"
Bahamas Press (28 October 2013). Bahama Press, 20 October 2013.
Following the death of
Southern Christian Leadership Conference The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is an African-American civil rights organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. SCLC is closely associated with its first president, Martin Luther King Jr., who had a large role in the American civi ...
founder and civil rights pioneer Evelyn Lowery, Bethel's film ''Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights & Democracy 1934 to 1962'' was showcased at
Spelman College Spelman College is a private, historically black, women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. It is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman re ...
and she met some of Atlanta's most influential African-American entrepreneurs and activists, in addition to former vice-president of
Tyler Perry Studios Tyler Perry Studios (TPS) is an American film production studio in Atlanta, Georgia founded by actor, filmmaker, and playwright Tyler Perry in 2006. In 2019, Perry celebrated the grand opening of his newest Atlanta studio location; he purchased ...
and CEO/ President of Bobbcat Films Rogger Bobb. Later that week, billionaire Dr Bill Allen treated Mrs. Bethel and The Bahamas Consul General to lunch, during which Consul General Randy Rolle stated that people like Marion Bethel have much to contribute as it pertains to sharing the history of The Bahamas.


Career

After passing her bar exams in September 1984, Bethel was admitted as an
attorney-at-law Attorney at law or attorney-at-law, usually abbreviated in everyday speech to attorney, is the preferred term for a practising lawyer in certain jurisdictions, including South Africa (for certain lawyers), Sri Lanka, the Philippines, and the United ...
to the Bar of
England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...
and
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
in 1985 and The Bahamas in 1986 while practicing administrative law, company law, commercial law, contracts, conveyancing, immigration law, insurance law, and matrimonial law. From 1896 to 1994, she then went on to work in the Office of the Attorney General; in 1997, she was named the Alice Proskauer Fellow at the
Bunting Institute The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is a part of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts, a ...
of
Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...
,
Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...
, while also writing ''Bougainvillea Ringplay'' during her spare time. In June 2005, Bethel began a retreat for African-American poets as a three-part poetry workshop titled "Cave Canem", held at the
University of Pittsburgh The University of Pittsburgh (Pitt) is a public state-related research university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The university is composed of 17 undergraduate and graduate schools and colleges at its urban Pittsburgh campus, home to the universit ...
. In 2012, she directed ''Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights & Democracy, the Women’s Suffrage Movement in The Bahamas 1948 to 1962'', a documentary on the struggle to gain women the right to vote in The Bahamas. Her passion for the Women's Movement in the Caribbean and The Bahamas became evident from this movie and she then received widespread support from many
Africa Africa is the world's second-largest and second-most populous continent, after Asia in both cases. At about 30.3 million km2 (11.7 million square miles) including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of Earth's total surface area ...
n,
Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...
an, and
Asia Asia (, ) is one of the world's most notable geographical regions, which is either considered a continent in its own right or a subcontinent of Eurasia, which shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with Africa. Asia covers an area ...
n countries. Bethel was elected to serve on the Committee of the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women from 1 January 2017 to 31 December 2019. She currently works as a managing partner at Sears & Co. and is working on a third anthology of poetry and a novel.


Bibliography


Writing

Before finishing her
bar examination A bar examination is an examination administered by the bar association of a jurisdiction that a lawyer must pass in order to be admitted to the bar of that jurisdiction. Australia Administering bar exams is the responsibility of the bar associ ...
s, Bethel spent a full summer writing a draft of ''Guanahani, My Love'' and published her first book in 1994, later to be republished by House of Nehesi Publishers in 2009. Her second book, ''Bougainvillea Ringplay'', was published by
Peepal Tree Press Peepal Tree Press is a publisher based in Leeds, England which publishes Caribbean, Black British, and South Asian fiction, non-fiction, poetry, drama and academic books. It was founded after a paper shortage in Guyana halted production of new bo ...
in 2009 and she is currently working on a third poetry collection and novel. She has been a guest star at various international events including the Caribbean Women Writers and Scholars Conference,
Florida International University Florida International University (FIU) is a public university, public research university with its main campus in Miami-Dade County. Founded in 1965, the school opened its doors to students in 1972. FIU has grown to become the third-largest uni ...
, in April 1996, the IV International Poetry Festival of Granada, the Miami International Book Fair in November 1997, the Caribbean Women Writers Series at Duke University in February 2002 and the XVI International Poetry Festival of Medellin in June 2006 in Medellin, Colombia. Additionally, House of Nehesi Publishers invited her as a guest poet and workshop presenter to their 5th Annual St. Martin BookFair in May 2007. Her work has been featured in ''
The Caribbean Writer The University of the Virgin Islands (or UVI) is a public historically black land-grant university in the United States Virgin Islands. History UVI was founded as the College of the Virgin Islands on March 16, 1962. In 1986, it officially beca ...
'', Volume 8, Moving Beyond, and in the anthologies of Bahamian poetry ''Junction'' and ''From the Shallow Seas''. Bethel is also a contributor to ''
New Daughters of Africa ''Daughters of Africa: An International Anthology of Words and Writings by Women of African Descent from the Ancient Egyptian to the Present'' is a compilation of orature and literature by more than 200 women from Africa and the African diaspora, ...
'' (2019), edited by
Margaret Busby Margaret Yvonne Busby, , Hon. FRSL (born 1944), also known as Nana Akua Ackon, is a Ghanaian-born publisher, editor, writer and broadcaster, resident in the UK. She was Britain's youngest and first black female book publisherJazzmine Breary"Let' ...
.


Films

Bethel acted as Ms. Wells in the 2008 movie ''
Rain Rain is water droplets that have condensed from atmospheric water vapor and then fall under gravity. Rain is a major component of the water cycle and is responsible for depositing most of the fresh water on the Earth. It provides water f ...
'' and is better known for the documentary film she directed on the
women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...
movement in The Bahamas. Entitled ''Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights & Democracy 1934 to 1962'', this documentary was showcased by Bahamas Consulate Office of Atlanta at
Spelman College Spelman College is a private, historically black, women's liberal arts college in Atlanta, Georgia. It is part of the Atlanta University Center academic consortium in Atlanta. Founded in 1881 as the Atlanta Baptist Female Seminary, Spelman re ...
after the death of
Southern Christian Leadership Conference The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) is an African-American civil rights organization based in Atlanta, Georgia. SCLC is closely associated with its first president, Martin Luther King Jr., who had a large role in the American civi ...
founder and civil rights pioneer Evelyn Lowery.


Awards

In July 1991, Bethel received a James Michener Fellowship in the Department of English at the
University of Miami The University of Miami (UM, UMiami, Miami, U of M, and The U) is a private research university in Coral Gables, Florida. , the university enrolled 19,096 students in 12 colleges and schools across nearly 350 academic majors and programs, incl ...
by the Caribbean Writers Summer Institute. She was one of few Caribbean writers to receive the Casa de Las Americas Prize for her collection of poems in ''Guanahani, mi amor: Y otros poemas.'' Additionally, Bethel is also the first Bahamian to receive the CARICOM award and was given this award in 2014 for her contribution towards gender justice and culture and the socio-economic development of the Caribbean. One way she has contributed to gender justice and culture is through her documentary ''Womanish Ways: Freedom, Human Rights & Democracy 1934 to 1962,'' which received the 2012 Award in Documentary at the Urban Suburban International Film Festival in Philadelphia. despite interventions on behalf of female members of parliament Hope Strachan and Loretta Butler. However, representative for Englerston Glenys Hanna-Martin states that Bethel's documentary was a "beautiful, powerful piece of work.".


References


Sources

*Bethel, Marion. ''Guanahani, My Love''. Philipsburg, St. Martin, Caribbean: House of Nehesi, 2009, . Print. *Farmer, Sonia
"Profile: Marion Bethel"
''The Nassau Guardian'', 5 March 2012. Web. 5 April 2017. *Wells, Ricardo
"Marion Bethel 'ready' for Responsibilities as Husband Challenges for PLP Leadership"
''Tribune 242''. Ellington, 11 August 2016. Web. 6 April 2017.


External links

*

. ''www.nicobethel.net''. Retrieved 28 April 2017. *
Judge Spotlight - Marion Bethel - Bocas Lit Fest
. ''Bocas Lit Fest''. 20 April 2013. Retrieved 1 May 2017. *
Marion Bethel
. caribbeanintransit.com. Retrieved 1 May 2017. *
Marion Bethel (Bahamas, 1953) , World Poetry Movement
.''www.wpm2011.org''. Retrieved 30 April 2017. Etc.. {{DEFAULTSORT:Bethel, Marion 1953 births Living people Bahamian poets Bahamian women writers Alumni of the University of Cambridge Bahamian lawyers University of Valencia alumni McGill University alumni Columbia University alumni 20th-century poets Bahamian women poets 20th-century women writers 20th-century Bahamian lawyers