Beverley Anderson Manley

Beverley Lois Anderson-Manley (born 8 November 1941) is a Jamaican public figure. In the 1970s she emerged as a leader of women's rights advocacy, leading a campaign for a maternity leave. From 1972 to 1993, she was married to Michael Manley, who was Prime Minister of Jamaica from 1972 to 1980. Manley was known for being more radical than her husband and helping him connect with Jamaica's black population. She was a popular figure among the majority of Jamaicans. Manley also co-founded a radio show with Eric Anthony Abrahams in 1992. After divorcing Michael, she published The Manley Memoirs in 2008, and in 2012 she married Donald Keith Duncan. Early life Beverley Lois Anderson was born on 8 November 1941, to Esmine Anderson and Eric Anderson, and grew up in "meager" surroundings in a working-class family. She had African ancestry. Her father was a clerk for the Jamaica Railway Corporation. Manley entered careers as a model and a public broadcaster, becoming a popular figure known for favoring Jamaican music over music from other countries. In the 1970s, she attended the University of the West Indies, Mona. Marriage to Michael Manley She married Michael Manley in 1972, and they had two children: the first in 1974 and the second in 1980. Michael Manley was 17 years older than her, and she was his fourth wife. He became Prime Minister of Jamaica in 1972, holding the role for eight years. Manley was First Lady of Jamaica for the duration of his term, advocating on behalf of women and children. She was also president of the PNP's women's movement in at least 1979, advocating for maternity leave, and a leader of the movement throughout the 1970s. A law that granted maternity leave was signed in 1979. Biographer Michael Darrell E. Levi wrote in 1989 that Beverley Manley "played a major role in sensitizing her husband to women's concerns". In 1974, she spoke to UNESCO about women's rights. She also visited Moscow and Cuba and was a vocal anti-imperialist, for which she was attacked by The Gleaner newspaper. She was more politically radical than her husband. Manley also worked to help her husband "connect" with Jamaica's black populationwhile his skin was light, she had dark skin, an Afro reminiscent of the Black Power movement, and often wore "African attire" such as a dashikiand developed a reputation for being involved with gender-related issues. She later said she helped Michael with his public speaking.