30 August 1924 — 4 April 2001
Beryl Agatha Gilroy (nee Answick) was born on 30 August 1924 in Skeldon, Berbice, British Guiana. She grew up in the care of her maternal grandparents.
Gilroy emigrated from British Guiana to London in 1951 as part of the Windrush generation, to attend the University of London. Despite her qualifications, she faced significant racial discrimination in seeking teaching positions. She eventually became the first Black headteacher in the London Borough of Camden. Her autobiographical work Black Teacher, published in 1976, documented her experiences of racism in the British education system. She later became a novelist and ethno-psychotherapist, earning a PhD.
Gilroy has been recognised as one of Britain's most significant post-war Caribbean migrants. Her son, Paul Gilroy, became a renowned cultural theorist. She passed away on 4 April 2001.
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