Valda James (born 1928) is the former mayor of

Islington Islington () is a district in the north of Greater London, England, and part of the London Borough of Islington. It is a mainly residential district of Inner London, extending from Islington's High Street to Highbury Fields, encompassing the ar ...

. She was the first black woman elected to

Islington Council Islington London Borough Council is the local authority for the London Borough of Islington in Greater London, England. The council was created by the London Government Act 1963 and replaced two local authorities: Finsbury Metropolitan Borough C ...

and the borough's first black mayor.

Life

James was born in

Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica Saint Thomas, once known as ''Saint Thomas in the East'', is a suburban parish situated at the south eastern end of Jamaica, within the county of Surrey. It is the birthplace of the Right Honourable Paul Bogle, designated in 1969 as one of Jama ...

, and moved to England in 1961, as part of the

Windrush generation British African-Caribbean people are an ethnic group in the United Kingdom. They are British citizens whose ancestry originates from the Caribbean or they are nationals of the Caribbean who reside in the UK. There are some self-identified Afro-C ...

. Following the end of her marriage, James raised her children as a single parent, 'an experience that later informed her work on the Social Services committee.' James worked first in catering and dressmaking, in order to support herself and her family, before becoming a nurse with the

British Red Cross The British Red Cross Society is the United Kingdom body of the worldwide neutral and impartial humanitarian network the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement. The society was formed in 1870, and is a registered charity with more ...

for eight years. James was elected to Islington Council in 1986, and became mayor two years later. In order to take up the post, James took early retirement from her existing job, affecting her pension, and was additionally unable to claim councillors' attendance allowances because mayoral duties did not leave enough time to carry out the functions required of a councillor. In order to support herself financially, James worked from 5.30am as a cleaning supervisor, before the start of her working day as Mayor. While Mayor, in 1989, James founded a Sickle Cell Support Group in Camden, which was 'primarily set up to be a forum for people with

sickle cell Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a group of blood disorders typically inherited from a person's parents. The most common type is known as sickle cell anaemia. It results in an abnormality in the oxygen-carrying protein haemoglobin found in red blo ...

and

thalassaemia Thalassemias are inherited blood disorders characterized by decreased hemoglobin production. Symptoms depend on the type and can vary from none to severe. Often there is mild to severe anemia (low red blood cells or hemoglobin). Anemia can result ...

diseases to meet and get to know and support each other.' In 2018, as part of the LDN WMN initiative celebrating 100 years since the first women gained the vote in Britain, a photograph of James by her granddaughter, the artist Phoebe Collings-James, was displayed on the outside of The Peel Institute, Islington. The artwork 'celebrates the cultural impact left by James on the Borough and is located close to the estate where she lived all her life'.

References

External links

Public artwork of Valda James by Phoebe Collings-James
at

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Video
for

International Women's Day International Women's Day (IWD) is a global holiday celebrated annually on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence and abuse against wom ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:James, Valda 1928 births Women mayors of places in England People from Saint Thomas Parish, Jamaica People from Islington (district) Politicians from London English nurses Living people