Bell Ribeiro-Addy facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Bell Ribeiro-Addy
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Official portrait, 2019
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| Shadow Minister for Immigration | |
| In office 24 January 2020 – 9 April 2020 |
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| Leader | Jeremy Corbyn |
| Preceded by | Afzal Khan |
| Succeeded by | Holly Lynch |
| Member of Parliament for Clapham and Brixton Hill Streatham (2019–2024) |
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| Assumed office 12 December 2019 |
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| Preceded by | Chuka Umunna |
| Majority | 18,005 (42.1%) |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy
1 March 1985 Streatham, London, England |
| Political party | Labour |
| Other political affiliations |
Socialist Campaign Group (2019–present) |
| Education | Streatham and Clapham High School |
| Alma mater | University of Bradford (BSc) Queen Mary University of London (MA) BPP Law School (GDL) |
Bellavia Janet Ribeiro-Addy, known as Bell Ribeiro-Addy, is a British politician. She was born on 1 March 1985. She is a Member of Parliament (MP) for Clapham and Brixton Hill. She was first elected in 2019 for the Streatham area. Bell Ribeiro-Addy is part of the Labour Party. She works to make things fairer for everyone.
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About Bell Ribeiro-Addy
Early Life and Education
Bellavia Ribeiro-Addy was born in Streatham, south London, in 1985. She grew up in a regular family home in Brixton Hill. Her family comes from Ghana.
She went to Streatham and Clapham High School on a special scholarship. Later, she studied Biomedical Science at the University of Bradford. She also earned degrees from Queen Mary University of London and BPP Law School.
Working for Students and Change
From 2008 to 2010, Bell was a leader for black students in the National Union of Students (NUS). She also helped lead campaigns against racism. She believes in fairness for all people.
She has always called herself a "socialist." This means she believes in a society where everyone has equal opportunities. Before becoming an MP, she worked for another important politician, Diane Abbott, from 2016 to 2019.
Her Work in Parliament
Becoming an MP
In the 2019 general election, Bell Ribeiro-Addy was elected as the MP for Streatham. This meant she became a representative for her local area in the UK Parliament. She won with a large number of votes.
Speaking Up for Others
In her first speech in Parliament, Bell spoke about the need to make up for past wrongs from colonialism. She also talked about unfair treatment faced by black people in Britain. She believes it is her job to make sure all people are free and treated equally. For example, she has called for the decriminalisation of homosexuality in Ghana.
In January 2020, she briefly became a Shadow Minister for Immigration. This meant she helped challenge the government's plans on immigration.
Fighting for Fair Representation
In 2020, Bell spoke out about how black female MPs were sometimes wrongly shown in the media. She highlighted mistakes by news outlets that mixed up photos of black female Labour MPs. She wanted to make sure they were shown correctly and respectfully.
During the COVID-19 Pandemic
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Bell Ribeiro-Addy asked the government to release people from immigration detention centers. She was worried about their safety.
She also supported a "Zero-COVID" plan. This meant keeping restrictions until very few cases of the virus were left. She voted against vaccine passports and mandatory vaccines for NHS staff.
Pushing for Better Education
Bell Ribeiro-Addy believes that schools should teach more about black history in the UK. She said that people do not learn enough about the fight for civil rights in Britain. Her own family history includes Thomas Birch Freeman, a black relative born in 1809.
Recent Work in Parliament
Bell Ribeiro-Addy has led a group in Parliament called the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Afrikan Reparations. This group discusses how to address the historical impact of slavery and colonialism.
In 2023, she argued that the law should be changed to allow museums to return important historical items. These items include the Benin bronzes and the Parthenon marbles. She believes they should go back to their countries of origin.
Due to changes in constituency boundaries, Bell's Streatham area was replaced. She was then elected as the MP for Clapham and Brixton Hill in the 2024 general election. She won with an even larger majority.
Personal Life
Bell Ribeiro-Addy served as a school governor at Saint Gabriel's College, Camberwell. This means she helped oversee the running of the school. She is also a Christian.
