Dr. Lucille Mathurin Mair (née Walrond), born in Jamaica in 1924, is remembered as one of the Caribbean’s most outstanding daughters. A pioneering feminist historian, tireless women’s rights advocate, and groundbreaking diplomat, she spent her life championing justice, equality and the empowerment of women—both at home and abroad.

She was a rebel woman in every sense of the word, unafraid to challenge norms and forge new paths for others to follow.

Breaking Barriers in Education and Research

A proud alumna of Wolmer’s High School for Girls, Mair went on to make academic history by becoming the first woman to research and write about Jamaican women’s history. Her doctoral thesis, completed in 1974 under the supervision of Elsa Goveia at the University of the West Indies (UWI), was titled “The Rebel Woman in the British West Indies During Slavery.” Though unpublished during her lifetime, it later became a seminal text in Caribbean feminist scholarship.

Mair’s commitment to education and women’s development extended beyond research. She was a co-founder of the Centre for Gender and Development Studies at UWI and served as the first female warden of Mary Seacole Hall on the Mona Campus, mentoring countless young women during their university years.

Diplomacy on the Global Stage

Dr. Mair also made her mark on the international stage, blazing a trail in diplomacy and development. In 1979, she became Assistant Secretary-General in the Office of the United Nations Secretariat. A year later, she was appointed Secretary-General of the World Conference on the UN Decade for Women, held in Copenhagen in 1980. From 1981 to 1982, she served as the Secretary-General’s Advisor to UNICEF on Women’s Development.

In 1982, Dr. Mair made history again—becoming the first woman ever to be appointed Under-Secretary-General of the United Nations. Between 1982 and 1987, she also served as Secretary-General of the United Nations Conference on Palestine.

Her work with the UN was rooted in a firm belief that women of the Global South should be placed at the centre of development conversations. She was Jamaica’s delegate to the International Women’s Conference in Mexico in 1975, where she helped to draft the landmark Mexico Declaration and the Regional Plan of Action for Women of Latin America (1977), both of which aimed to dismantle the systemic discrimination women faced in the labour market.

Serving Jamaica at Home and Abroad

Before her diplomatic career abroad, Dr. Mair had already held several high-profile positions in Jamaica. She was appointed the first Advisor on Women’s Affairs and Head of the Jamaica Information Service (JIS) in 1974. She then served as Deputy Head of Jamaica’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations in 1975 and was later appointed Ambassador to Cuba.

Returning home, she was called to serve again—this time as Senator and Minister of State in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In 1992, she was appointed Jamaica’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations, capping off a distinguished diplomatic career.

Legacy of a Rebel Woman

Dr. Lucille Mathurin Mair’s lifelong advocacy did not go unrecognised. In 1996, she became the fifth recipient of the prestigious CARICOM Triennial Award for Women, an honour reserved for Caribbean women who have made significant contributions to the advancement of gender equality and the development of the region.

Her story has been preserved and celebrated in the biography “Lucille Mathurin Mair: A Rebel Woman,” written by Professor Verene Shepherd and published by UWI Press. Through interviews, personal papers, and reflections from colleagues and friends, Shepherd captures the remarkable scope of Mair’s contributions—as a historian, wife, mother, diplomat, legislator and mentor.

She passed away on January 29, 2009, at the age of 85, leaving behind a proud legacy and a family dedicated to public service. Her children include Ambassador Gail Mathurin and sons David and Adrian.

Dr. Mair was often described as a woman of “grace, charm, wit, steely determination, independence and open-mindedness.” But perhaps most memorably, she was a true trailblazer—a woman who went where no one had gone before and paved the way for others to do the same.

Cover image source : Centre for Reparations Research UWI