Alimenta Bishop

Alimenta Bishop
Born
Alimenta Lagrenade

1914 (1914)
Grenada
Died24 August 2013(2013-08-24) (aged 98–99)
SpouseRupert Bishop
Children3 (including Maurice Bishop)
RelativesCécile La Grenade (niece)

Alimenta Bishop (née Lagrenade; 1914 – 24 August 2013)[1] was a Grenadian activist and stateswoman, known for being the mother of Prime Minister of Grenada Maurice Bishop, who was leader of the New Jewel Movement (NJM).[2] Following her sons execution, she campaigned for many years for the recovery of his remains.

Biography

Alimenta Bishop and her husband Rupert hailed from the northeast of the island of Grenada. At the end of 1930, to improve his financial position, they moved to Aruba so that he could work in the oil refinery.[3] She had one son, and two daughters Ann and Maureen.[1] Her husband was killed by the Mongoose Gang during an independence protest against the government of Prime Minister Eric Gairy in 1974.[4] Bishop came to public life when her son took power in the Grenadian Revolution.[5] She was present when he was overthrown was deposed by Deputy Prime Minister Bernard Coard and executed.[6]

In 1998, she was visited at her home by Fidel Castro.[7][8] In 2005, she asked the authorities to release the body of her son to her care.[9] In 2009, she was among dignitaries present when the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government renamed the Point Saline International Airport to the Maurice Bishop International Airport.[10]

Bishop wished to find her son's burial place in the years following his death.[9] She stated that the only thing she wanted to know before her death was to know where her son’s body had been buried.[11] She died in August 2013.[9]

References

  1. ^ a b "Obituary For - Alimenta Bishop nee Lagrenade - Grenada". grenadianconnection.com. 24 August 2013. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  2. ^ "Alimenta Bishop". Black Women Radicals. 2019-09-18. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  3. ^ Mendoza, Jorge L. (1982). Granada, La Nueva Joya del Caribe [Grenada: The New Jewel of the Caribbean] (in Spanish). Havana: Editorial de Ciencias Sociales. pp. 72–192. OCLC 8726920.
  4. ^ Kaufman, Michael T. (1974-02-08). "Opposition Leader Arrested as Grenada Becomes Independent". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  5. ^ "How a Revolution on the Tiny Island of Grenada Shook the World". jacobin.com. 2021-03-13. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  6. ^ "REPORTER'S NOTEBOOK: DARKNESS AND LIGHT ON THE ISLE OF SP". The New York Times. 1983-11-04. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  7. ^ Loney, Jim (August 4, 1998). "Cuba News / Noticias - CubaNet News". www.cubanet.org (in Spanish). Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  8. ^ "Cuban leader pays tribute to late prime minister". The Irish Times. August 4, 1998. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  9. ^ a b c "Maurice Bishop mother passes on". The Caribbean Camera. 2013-08-28. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  10. ^ "Two prominent Grenadian figures die – Caribbean Life". www.caribbeanlife.com. 2013-09-05. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
  11. ^ "Caribbean and Diaspora News in Brief | Caribbean Intelligence". www.caribbeanintelligence.com. August 2013. Retrieved 2026-05-31.
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