Black History

Belinda Bennett: Diversity at the Helm on the High Seas

Published

4 years ago

November 19, 2020

Kiki

Cruise ships have always hired women in areas of passenger services. Positions on the bridge, however, were never even considered. Windstar Cruises, LLC, which operates a fleet of small luxury cruise ships, has set an example of true diversity with Belinda Bennett serving as the first Black woman cruise ship captain on the MSC Wind Star.

Bennett, 45, is a British citizen and resides in Southampton, U.K. Her maiden voyage as captain was on Jan. 30, 2016, with 102 international crew aboard the 148-passenger Wind Star cruising in the Caribbean, according to the company’s web site.

But her path to the helm was not without resistance.

During a 2019 interview with Forbes, Bennett said that she’d had a “rough start.” When training as a cadet in South Tyneside (located in Northeast England), she sailed with chief officers “who made me work harder than the other guys … work later than the sailors. So, they would knock off for the day, and I would be left outside continuing to work until it got dark. It really was a make-or-break-you time, and me being me, I refused to be broken.”

It was an experience she described to Travel Age West as “a culture shock.” On entering the academy, Bennett admitted that she was naïve to racism.

Some 70-plus men and five women comprised Bennett’s class. “Some of those in charge were determined to break us,” she said. She would later become the only woman to complete the course and enter the maritime industry.

She briefly served as chief officer for private charter yacht SS Delphine, and Isle of Man Steam Packet ferries. But the yacht industry wasn’t ready to embrace diversity.

Bennett told Forbes that after completing her master’s degree, she was “sat down by an agent in Antibes and told that finding a job in the yachting industry would be very hard

because of three things: (1) I had a higher education than most captains at the time; (2) I was a woman; (3) I was Black.”

Originally from the island of St. Helena (located in the South Atlantic between South America and Africa), Bennett developed a love for the ocean and spent most of her time on the water.

In fact, the only way off St. Helena at that time was by ship. By age 17, she worked on the RMS St. Helena. It was the only ship supporting the island, Bennett said, adding: “That’s when my adventures started.”

Bennett never allowed others to impede her success or redirect her goals. “I am a very strong woman,” she said. “Being a woman, you have to work extra hard to prove yourself; even more than a man. Some men might not like that … I wanted to be captain, and so, I am.”

Bennett joined Windstar Cruises as Second Officer at the Port of Monaco in September 2005, according to the company’s web site. Over her more than 13-year career, she has worked on a variety of Windstar ships, progressing to chief officer and now captain.

In 2018, Bennett was awarded the Merchant Navy Medal for Meritorious Service.

Kiki

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Oakland Post: Week of May 7 – 13, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of May 7 – 13, 2025

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3 days ago

May 9, 2025

Oakland Post

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Oakland Post: Week of April 30 – May 6, 2025

The printed Weekly Edition of the Oakland Post: Week of April 30 – May 6, 2025

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1 week ago

May 4, 2025

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Four Bills Focus on Financial Compensation for Descendants of Enslaved People

This week, CBM examines four more bills in the package — each offering ways for Black Californians to receive restitution for past injustices — from housing assistance and reclamation of loss property to fairer pay and the establishment of a state agency charged with determining eligibility for reparations.

Published

2 weeks ago

April 28, 2025

Oakland Post

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Edward Henderson
California Black Media

Last week, California Black Media (CBM) provided an update on four bills in the California Legislative Black Caucus (CLBC) 2025 Road to Repair package.

The 16 bills in the Black Caucus’s 2025 “Road to Repair” package focus on “repairing the generational harms caused by the cruel treatment of African American slaves in the United States and decades of systemic deprivation and injustice inflicted upon Black Californians,” said the CLBC in a release.

This week, CBM examines four more bills in the package — each offering ways for Black Californians to receive restitution for past injustices — from housing assistance and reclamation of lost property to fairer pay and the establishment of a state agency charged with determining eligibility for reparations.

Here are summaries of these bills, information about their authors, and updates on how far each one has advanced in the legislative process.

Assembly Bill (AB) 57

AB 57, introduced by Assemblymember Tina McKinnor (D-Inglewood), would require that at least 10% of the monies in the state’s home purchase assistance fund be made available to applicants who meet the requirements for a loan under the home purchase assistance program and are descendants of formerly enslaved people.

The Assembly Judiciary Committee is currently reviewing the legislation.

Assembly Bill (AB) 62

AB 62, also introduced by McKinnor, would require the Office of Legal Affairs to review, investigate, and make specific determinations regarding applications from people who claim they are the dispossessed owners of property seized from them because of racially motivated eminent domain. The bill would define “racially motivated eminent domain” to mean when the state acquires private property for public use and does not provide just compensation to the owner, due in whole or in part, to the owner’s race.

AB 62 is currently under review in the Judiciary Committee.

Senate Bill (SB) 464

SB 464, introduced by Sen. Lola Smallwood-Cuevas (D-Los Angeles), aims to strengthen the existing civil rights laws in California concerning employer pay data reporting. The bill mandates that private employers with 100 or more employees submit annual pay data reports to the Civil Rights Department. These reports must include detailed demographic information — including race, ethnicity, sex, and sexual orientation — pertaining to their workforce distribution and compensation across different job categories. Furthermore, beginning in 2027, public employers will also be required to comply with these reporting requirements.

The Senate Committee on Labor, Public Employment, and Rules is currently reviewing SB 464. A hearing is expected to be held on April 23.

Senate Bill (SB) 518

SB 518, introduced by Sen. Akilah Weber Pierson (D-San Diego), establishes the Bureau for Descendants of American Slavery to address and remedy the lasting harms of slavery and the Jim Crow laws suffered by Black Californians.

SB 518 is under review in the Senate Judiciary Committee. A hearing is expected to be held on April 22.