Jane Marie Apolinaire Léro (also Jeanne Léro; born February 8, 1916, Le Lamentin, Martinique – July 17, 1961, Martinique) was a feminist and communist activist from Martinique.
She was born the fifth child in a family that would eventually grow to eight children. [1] Her parents had a small mercantile business. [2] She studied at the colonial boarding school (Pensionnat Colonial) for girls in Fort-de-France before continuing onto the lycée Schoelcher; at the time, it was unusual for a female student to choose this secondary school because it specialized in math and science. [3] Léro earned the highest honors for her work in mathematics and received her baccalauréat in math in 1937 or 1938. [3] [4]
Because of her gender, she was unable to travel to France as a youth to receive higher education, like two of her brothers. [1] [3] Her brothers Thélus and Etienne contributed to the radical Martiniquais student journal Légitime Défense while they were both students in Paris in the 1930s. [5]
Léro opened a small store that became a meeting spot for politically active Martinicans. She began to read the literary magazine Tropiques, in which authors such as Aimé Césaire advanced new theorizations of colonization, politics, and race. [3]
Léro joined the Communist Party in 1943. [3] In 1944, the first election in which Martiniquais women were able to vote, she organized electoral campaigns and participated in conferences. [3] She also wrote articles for the party's magazine Justice. [3]
In June 1944, Léro led the foundation of the Union des Femmes de la Martinique (l'UFM; Union of Women of Martinique) at the behest of the Communist Party. [1] [6] [7] Her sister-in-law Yva Léro was also a founding member. [8] [5] The feminist organization brought together communists and democrats and fought for causes such as social security, healthcare, education, and nutrition. [8] [5] [9] It was radical in its critique of socioeconomic inequality and provided many social services for women ignored or underserved by the French government. [5] Health care was a main focus. [10] Voting was also central to its mission. [11] She served as its president until 1947 or 1949, when she departed for France to pursue higher education in social work. [1] [3] [8] Léro earned a degree in social work in Paris in 1951 and worked in France for several years. [3]
Léro returned to Martinique in 1956 to organize social services in the department of Fort-de-France as a government employee. [3] The political landscape had changed, and she was torn between allegiance to the communist party and her friendship with the Césaires. [3]
She died in 1961; her cause of death remains unclear. [3]
Her life and work have been re-centered in Martiniquais history beginning in the early 2000s. She has become the subject of the work of scholars such as Clara Palmiste, Cécile Celma, and Annette Joseph-Gabriel. [12] [13] [14] [15]
The domestic violence response center of the Union of Women of Martinique in Fort-de-France was renamed the "Jane Léro Building" in 2002. [5] [6]
Jane Marie Apolinaire Léro (also Jeanne Léro; born February 8, 1916, Le Lamentin, Martinique – July 17, 1961, Martinique) was a feminist and communist activist from Martinique.
She was born the fifth child in a family that would eventually grow to eight children. [1] Her parents had a small mercantile business. [2] She studied at the colonial boarding school (Pensionnat Colonial) for girls in Fort-de-France before continuing onto the lycée Schoelcher; at the time, it was unusual for a female student to choose this secondary school because it specialized in math and science. [3] Léro earned the highest honors for her work in mathematics and received her baccalauréat in math in 1937 or 1938. [3] [4]
Because of her gender, she was unable to travel to France as a youth to receive higher education, like two of her brothers. [1] [3] Her brothers Thélus and Etienne contributed to the radical Martiniquais student journal Légitime Défense while they were both students in Paris in the 1930s. [5]
Léro opened a small store that became a meeting spot for politically active Martinicans. She began to read the literary magazine Tropiques, in which authors such as Aimé Césaire advanced new theorizations of colonization, politics, and race. [3]
Léro joined the Communist Party in 1943. [3] In 1944, the first election in which Martiniquais women were able to vote, she organized electoral campaigns and participated in conferences. [3] She also wrote articles for the party's magazine Justice. [3]
In June 1944, Léro led the foundation of the Union des Femmes de la Martinique (l'UFM; Union of Women of Martinique) at the behest of the Communist Party. [1] [6] [7] Her sister-in-law Yva Léro was also a founding member. [8] [5] The feminist organization brought together communists and democrats and fought for causes such as social security, healthcare, education, and nutrition. [8] [5] [9] It was radical in its critique of socioeconomic inequality and provided many social services for women ignored or underserved by the French government. [5] Health care was a main focus. [10] Voting was also central to its mission. [11] She served as its president until 1947 or 1949, when she departed for France to pursue higher education in social work. [1] [3] [8] Léro earned a degree in social work in Paris in 1951 and worked in France for several years. [3]
Léro returned to Martinique in 1956 to organize social services in the department of Fort-de-France as a government employee. [3] The political landscape had changed, and she was torn between allegiance to the communist party and her friendship with the Césaires. [3]
She died in 1961; her cause of death remains unclear. [3]
Her life and work have been re-centered in Martiniquais history beginning in the early 2000s. She has become the subject of the work of scholars such as Clara Palmiste, Cécile Celma, and Annette Joseph-Gabriel. [12] [13] [14] [15]
The domestic violence response center of the Union of Women of Martinique in Fort-de-France was renamed the "Jane Léro Building" in 2002. [5] [6]