Last week, in a project entitled ‘UCL Female Firsts’, a woman of our own soil, Dame Bernice Lake, was honoured, along with 12 other alumni, as a woman of the century by her Alma Mater UCL, in London, United Kingdom. ‘UCL Female Firsts’ is a collaborative project aimed to “explore the impact and legacy of twelve exceptional women and chart progress towards gender equality ….that “will give us an eye opening insight into the barriers women have faced at UCL and in the wider world, and how far they were able to reach despite them summarized UCL President & Provost Professor Michael Arthur.
Each faculty nominated women of exceptional achievement or whose lifework significantly impacted the fight for gender equality. From the list of nominees 12 candidates were selected to be honored.
Professor Alison Diduck of the Faulty of Laws indicated that although there were many exceptional women nominated once the committee reviewed Dame Bernice Violante Lake’s portfolio she was unanimously chosen by the Faculty of Laws as their representative. Among Dame Bernice Lake’s many achievements was being the first woman from the Eastern Caribbean to be appointed to the Queens’ Council. Dame Lake was world renowned for her work on constitutional matters, promoting the rights of women, and fighting for the underdog.
The official ceremony unveiling the artwork took place on December 13, 2018 at the UCL Art Museum in London. Dame Lake was represented by her brother Sir Cuthwin Lake, and several nieces and nephews. The ceremony was opened by the UCL Provost who gave a brief welcome and outlined how the project was born. Professor Stephenson spoke to the progression of the project giving an overview of the selection process itself. The artist Kristina Clackson Bennington reflected on her artistic journey creating the artworks. Ebony-Jewel Rainford Brent, as a living Female First, also spoke on the life experiences shaping her career and ultimately resulting in her nomination for recognition by UCL.
On speaking to Kristina about her piece on Dame Bernice Lake she mused that she had originally placed her in the Court of Appeal but “it just didn’t feel right, so I had to rethink it.” She contacted the Supreme Court, told them what she was working on, and asked for permission to use that setting to place Dame Bernice Lake in. Their response was a very enthusiastic “of course you can!” Over her nearly 50 year career Dame Bernice Lake had made many appearances in front of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council presenting many arguments before the highest court of appeal for the Commonwealth countries.
The 12 pieces of artwork will continue to be available for viewing until the end of February, 2019 in the UCL Art Museum.
