[UPDATED] Hazel Brown's family heartbroken but proud of her legacy: Gender activist dies at 80

GENDER activist Hazel Brown is being remembered as a local legend.

The 80-year-old died peacefully on Thursday morning.

Brown was also a consumer activist, former secretary general of the Commonwealth Women's Network and former co-ordinator of the Network of NGOs for the Advancement of Women.

She was also awarded the Medal for the Development of Women (Gold) in 2011, and an honorary doctorate by UWI in 2017.

In a post on her Facebook page, her family said, ''Hazel is survived by four children (Leah, Carla, Garvin and Natasha), two sisters and seven grandchildren in TT, the US and the UK."

The post said funeral arrangements, along with other details, will be posted soon.

Brown's daughter Natasha Nunez told Newsday she is still in shock and that her phone had been buzzing non-stop.

"It hasn't really sunk in quite yet," she said as her voice broke.

She said her mother had Parkinson's disease, hypertension and diabetes but was still able to get around and care for herself.

She said the news was especially heartbreaking as she was unable to see her mother for the past two weeks because she was in quarantine.

"And today is the last day of my quarantine and I was expecting to go and look for her tomorrow. So that is one of the parts of this whole event that I'm wrestling with right now."

She said she knows what her mother meant to many people in this country.

"I was very much aware of it but it's being thrust in front of me in a spectacular way and it's a little overwhelming...the breadth of her legacy and the number of lives she has touched – I feel proud and I've always been proud of her and her commitment to her country and her people."

Brown's colleague Roberta Clarke – president of the Coalition Against Domestic Violence and commissioner at the Inter-American Commission for Human Rights – said she was fierce and "driven by an internal force to be engaged to make the world a better place.

"There are some, perhaps a few people who wake up every day determined to make their voice count. Hazel Brown was of this group of people who questioned authority.

"She did not accept how things were when things were unjust, when people lived in grinding poverty, when consumer rights were ignored, when the sick could not access quality services. She worked hard and with others to end all forms of gender discrimination and gender-based violence, especially against women and girls."

Clarke said her friend was a reliable ally and someone people could count on at public discourses and protests.

"She spent many a day in Parliament so that legislators would understand that they were being scrutinised and were accountable."

She recalled when Brown helped Guyanese women come to TT for cancer treatment and described her as caring.

"Even this was part of her politics as she was a staunch Caribbean integrationist.

"She was indefatigable and she was firm. If you got in her wrong side because she believed that important principles were violated, well it would be side-eye wariness for a while.

"She could be fierce, but I think that is what is required now of all us. Clarity, principles and action. There are many lessons from her life and hers is an example of patriotism."

NGO Feminitt posted its tribute to Brown on social media, saying she was one of TT's "greatest feminist contributors.

"She was well known for her outspokenness, steadfast belief in public participation in democracy, and her advocacy for autonomy."

The UNC women's arm also offered its condolences in a press release.

It said Brown was a "dedicated servant of the people who spent her life helping to educate and empower women.

"At times like these, we realise the important truth that we are all members of the same community, and when one of us feels a loss such as this, we all feel that loss."

It said she was a known advocate for the creation of a national gender policy, a supporter of solar power for cooking and a "tireless champion for consumer rights.

"Mrs Brown engaged in many women empowerment training seminars and panel discussions with the UNC National Women’s Arm, one of those fond memories with Mrs Brown was when she participated in our training sessions, she worked the room before her speech, and when she did get up to speak she was able to remember the names and stories of almost every single person in that room.

"Her community engagement and commitment to participation were remarkable, and that is what so many people will remember about Mrs Brown: a warm, engaging, fiercely intelligent and bold woman who truly valued and remembered those with whom she came into contact, no matter where they were from or who they were."

British High Commissioner to TT Harriet Cross tweeted, "(I) will not forget Hazel coming out at night in the middle of the covid pandemic to discuss women’s rights with me shortly after I’d arrived. A powerful woman with a powerful legacy."

St Joseph's Convent, Port of Spain's Past Pupils' Association posted a tribute to Facebook. In 2019, the school inducted her into its Hall of Excellence.

"May your family find strength at this difficult time and may her soul rest in eternal peace."

The Emancipation Support Committee called her a "dear friend and sister," adding that she will be missed.

And the Institute for Gender and Development Studies at UWI, St Augustine said, it "expresses heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Hazel Brown, a mentor, a relentless advocate, a colleague to many and a friend."

"Brown became a Member of the Distinguished Society of TT when she was awarded the Medal for the Development of Women, Gold in the sphere of community service. May she rest in eternal peace."

Tributes continued with UN Women Caribbean who said Brown was a giant in Caribbean feminism "who made it their life's work to realise a better world in every space that women and girls occupy.

"She was in the negotiating sessions for the Beijing Platform for Action, at the Commission on the Status of Women and the lead up to these with our regional meetings in Latin America during which her contribution was acknowledged in 2020, and of course at sub-regional meetings in the Caribbean.

"She led initiatives to increase the number of women in politics and she worked for women’s economic empowerment. She described violence against women and girls and changing the culture that normalised this type of violence, as one of the most pressing issues of our time. Hazel lobbied in the halls of justice and Parliament, and she literally walked up and down in the streets of Port of Spain seeking justice and empowerment and ultimately equality for women.

"Hazel we will not forget your legacy, we will do what we can to continue to build on it, and we will miss you."

St Augustine MP Khadijah Ameen said Brown "actively rallied for the representation of women in politics, this was highlighted when she presented me with a token stating 'A Woman's Place is in the House of Parliament.'

"Dr Brown was a fellow colleague of mine and a great mentor since she exhibited great determination in fighting for gender equality and women's rights. We continuously worked on varying projects, all of which aimed to highlight the plight of women...a true envisionary, who consistently advocated for gender equity, social development and human rights."

This story was originally published with the title "Gender activist Hazel Brown dies at 80" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

GENDER activist Hazel Brown has died at the age of 80.

In a post on her Facebook page, her family said she died peacefully on Thursday morning.

''Hazel is survived by four children (Leah, Carla, Garvin and Natasha), two sisters and seven grandchildren in TT, the US and the UK."

The post said funeral arrangements, along with other details, will be posted soon.

Brown was also a consumer activist and former co-ordinator of the Network of NGOs for the Advancement of Women.