Nicole Sylvester

Activist Type

Human Rights

Nicole Sylvester was a prominent Vincentian lawyer and activist who served as president of the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States Bar Association and the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Human Rights Association. Sylvester was renowned for her love of country and democracy, often using her position to fight for the rights of Vincentians pro bono and working to promote free and fair elections. Nicole rose to national attention in 2008 when she took on a case involving the alleged rape and cover-up of a policewoman by St. Vincent’s Prime Minister, Dr. Ralph Gonsalves.

Despite her good health, Sylvester contracted a dubious illness, which led to an eventual stroke from which she never recovered. She passed away at the age of 51 in 2015, leaving behind two sons. The circumstances around her illness remain in question, and many suspect foul play.

Artwork by

Anne Di Lillo

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines are known as the “Gems of the Antilles,” represented by three diamonds on their national flag. In Ms. Sylvester’s portrait, these shapes are scattered and uneven, mimicking a shattered larger diamond—a strong advocate for human rights for her community, taken from them far too soon.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Capital

Kingstown

Founded

October 27, 1979

Demonym

Vincentian