Mandu Reid

Reid's mother is Black Malawi and her father is White British. Her parents met while her father was teaching English in Malawi, where Reid was born. The family moved to the United Kingdom in 1982, but subsequently lived in Somalia and Eswatini (better known as Swaziland), before returning to the UK, where Reid attended sixth form.{{cite web|url=https://thenewlondoners.com/portfolio/malawi|title=Malawi|work=The New Londoners|first=Chris|last=Steele-Perkins|accessdate=16 February 2020}} Concerning her growing up in Eswatini, Reid said that being a mixed-race child led to awareness in childhood of injustice and prejudice.

While at school in England, Reid experienced racist abuse as the only black student in her school.{{Cite news|last=Ferber|first=Alona|title=Mandu Reid of the Women's Equality Party: "Misogyny permeates every facet of our lives"|url=https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/feminism/2020/02/mandu-reid-women-s-equality-party-misogyny-permeates-every-facet-our-lives|access-date=11 March 2021|work=The New Statesman|language=en}}

Reid is a graduate of the London School of Economics.{{cite news|url=https://news.trust.org/item/20190427224642-gnj14/|title=Making history, UK's new feminist party leader aims to popularise 'f-word' politics|first=Emma|last=Batha|publisher=Thomson Reuters Foundation|date=27 April 2019|accessdate=16 February 2020}}

After graduating from LSE, Reid worked at in project and programme management for HM Treasury, the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Greater London Authority.{{cite news|url=https://www.theneweuropean.co.uk/top-stories/mandu-reid-on-covid-19-inequality-for-women-1-6689023|title=Now is a big moment for a new women's equality movement|first=Matt|last=Withers|work= The New European|date=7 June 2020|accessdate=23 July 2020}}

Reid founded The Cup Effect in 2015, a period poverty charity which campaigns donates menstrual cups to women and girls struggling with period poverty in the UK and East Africa.{{Cite news|last=Iqbal|first=Nosheen|date=27 April 2019|title=My abortion politicised me, says WEP leader Mandu Reid|url=http://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/27/mandu-reid-wep-abortion-politicised-me|access-date=11 March 2021|work=The Guardian|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Effect|first=The Cup|date=29 January 2019|title=A Manifesto for Menstrual Cups in the Fight Against Period Poverty|url=https://www.thecupeffect.org/2019/01/29/manifesto-menstrual-cups-period-poverty/|access-date=11 March 2021|website=The Cup Effect|language=en-GB}}{{Cite news |last= Crockett |first= Moya|date=3 May 2019|title=Interview - Women's Equality Party leader Mandu Reid |url=https://www.stylist.co.uk/visible-women/womens-equality-party-leader-mandu-reid-on-class-childcare-and-going-after-ukip/265024|access-date=11 March 2021 |work=Stylist|language=en}}

Reid joined the Labour Party in 2010, but later moved to the Women's Equality Party (WEP) in 2018. As a member of WEP, Reid stood in the 2018 Lewisham East by-election, coming fifth and losing her deposit. Despite not being a parent at the time, Reid has supported equal parenting policies and flexible working as the party spokesperson on equal parenting since 2018. Reid has spoken publicly about her abortion, which was what sparked her interest in equal parenting policies and promoted her to pursue a career in politics. Talking about her abortion, she said:

It is strange to me, when I reflect on it now, that neither of us could imagine a scenario where I wasn't the sole caregiver of the child and the main breadwinner....I crunched the numbers and realised at that point in time, I couldn't balance being a single mother and hold on to my career aspirations...so I had a termination. It wasn't an easy choice.

In April 2019, Reid took over the interim leadership of WEP,{{cite news|url=https://divamag.co.uk/2019/08/29/mandu-reid-the-personal-is-political/|title=Mandu Reid: The personal is political|first=Carrie|last=Lyell|work=Diva|date=29 August 2019|accessdate=16 February 2020}}{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2019/apr/27/mandu-reid-womens-equality-party-first-black-leader-proud-daunted|title='We're not just for middle class white women': new head of Women's Equality party|work=The Observer|first=Nosheen|last=Iqbal|date=27 April 2019|accessdate=16 February 2020}} and was confirmed as party leader in January 2020.{{cite web|url=https://www.womensequality.org.uk/storysofar|title=The Story so Far...|publisher=Women's Equality Party|website=womensequality.org|accessdate=16 February 2020}} She has been described as "the first black, bisexual leader of a political party in the UK".{{Cite news|last=Baldwin|first=Philip|date=22 September 2021|title=Bisexual stars and activists share their advice for coming out and 'finding your community'|url=https://www.gaytimes.co.uk/life/bisexual-stars-and-activists-share-their-advice-for-coming-out-and-finding-your-community/|access-date=13 September 2021|work=Gay Times |language=en-GB}}

In response to the Black Lives Matter movement, and murder of George Floyd in the U.S., Reid wrote to prime minister Boris Johnson to express support for the movement.{{Cite news|last=Sandover |first=Althaea |title=Black Lives Matter: Political Leader Mandu Reid tells PM "I can't breathe"|url=https://harpymagazine.com/home-1/2020/6/4/black-lives-matter-political-leader-mandu-reid-tells-pm-i-cant-breathe|access-date=11 March 2021|work=Harpy|language=en-GB}} Under Reid's leadership, the Women's Equality Party released a statement which highlighted racial injustice in the UK.

Reid was the party's candidate for the 2021 London mayoral election, having replaced Sue Black, who had to withdraw for health reasons.{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/politics/2020/feb/16/womens-equality-party-candidate-pulls-out-of-london-mayoral-race|title=Women's Equality party candidate pulls out of London mayoral race|first=Kate|last=Proctor|work=The Guardian|date=16 February 2020|accessdate=16 February 2020}} She came tenth and lost her deposit.

Reid has written opinion articles for The Independent and The Huffington Post.{{Cite news|title=Mandu Reid|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/author/mandu-reid|access-date=11 March 2021|work=The Independent|language=en}}{{Cite book|title=Mandu Reid |url = https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/author/mandu-reid|access-date=11 March 2021|work=Huff Post|language=en}}

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Category:Living people

Category:1981 births

Category:Alumni of the London School of Economics

Category:Women's Equality Party people

Category:Bisexual women politicians

Category:Black British women politicians

Category:Black British LGBTQ people

Category:Malawian LGBTQ people

Category:English bisexual women

Category:English bisexual politicians

Category:Leaders of political parties in the United Kingdom