Georgette Ebanks
Georgette Ebanks (19 September 1927 – 17 October 2023) was a women's rights activist in the Cayman Islands. She played an important role in the establishment of women's right to vote in the country, which was passed into law in 1958.
Biography
[edit]Born Georgette Hurlston on Grand Cayman on 19 September 1927, she was a member of the first graduating class of the Triple C School in George Town in 1947.[1][2][3]
At age 21, Hurlston was one of the 24 signatories of the August 1948 petition demanding women's suffrage in the Cayman Islands.[4][1][2] She was driven to participate in the suffrage movement, she later said, after thinking about "the opportunity I as a young woman at the time was missing out on."[5] This first petition was rejected, and women were not granted the right to vote until 1958, by which point she had temporarily moved to the United States.[1]
Georgette Ebanks was married to Nathan Ebanks, also of Grand Cayman.[6] Back on the island, she joined the civil service as a postal worker, a role she held for nearly 30 years.[7]
Ebanks was the only living signatory of that original petition prior to her death.[5] She continued to engage in community organizing and politics into her nineties, participating in talk shows on the islands.[2][8]
In 2017, she was given the first Ira Thompson Award by the Cayman Islands National Museum, in recognition of her contributions to the preservation of the Cayman Islands' history.[9] An exhibit at the museum that launched in 2015, titled "Legends Gallery: Miss Georgette Ebanks," displays artifacts from her suffragist work and tells her story.[10][11][12]
Ebanks died on 17 October 2023, at the age of 96.[13]
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ a b c Staff (2008-12-10). "Women's voting rights honoured". Cayman Compass. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
- ^ a b c "Museum exhibit commemorates Cayman icon". CNS Local Life. 2015-10-23. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
- ^ Staff (2007-06-27). "Triple C graduation makes history". Cayman Compass. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
- ^ "Education Minister Remarks at NHD". Cayman Islands Government. January 2009.
- ^ a b Ebanks, Hannah (Spring 2018). "Small But Mighty: History of Women's Suffrage in the Caymen Island". Atlas Magazine. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
- ^ The Cayman Islands Who's who & Business Guide. Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce. 1989.
- ^ "Pensioner Profile" (PDF). Public Service Pensions Board Newsletter. Summer 2015.
- ^ "Endorsement by Ms. Georgette Ebanks". YouTube. 2017-05-19.
- ^ Staff (2017-05-07). "National Museum honors Georgette Ebanks". Cayman Compass. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
- ^ "Ms Georgette Ebanks Receives First Ira Thompson Award". Cayman Islands Chamber of Commerce | Grand Cayman. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
- ^ "Cause for Celebration". Cayman Airways Skies. November–December 2015. Retrieved 2020-10-13.
- ^ Ariese, Csilla (2019). "The Social Museum in the Caribbean Grassroots Heritage Initiatives and Community Engagement - Appendix: Caribbean Museums Database". Leiden University Repository.
- ^ "Women's rights activist and Caymanian icon Georgette Ebanks passes". Cayman Compass. 19 October 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2024.