Daphne Clarke was a Trailblazer and Human Rights Activist

By Neil Armstrong

Photo contributed   Daphne V. Clarke, a trailblazer and human rights activist of Windsor, Ontario

The city of Windsor, Ontario recently lost one of its trailblazers -- Daphne V. Clarke – described as a mentor, friend, human rights activist and “an amazing force of life” who mentored individuals, organizations and newcomers with “a strong spirit of giving and learning.”

She passed away on April 5 at the age of 86 and was laid to rest at St. Alphonsus Catholic Cemetery on April 13 after a funeral mass at St. Alphonsus Church where she was a member, a lay-person and a refugee committee member.

Clarke was born in Devon, Manchester in Jamaica on December 13, 1932 and educated there and in England, where she immigrated in 1959.

Before leaving Jamaica, she worked as a secretary specializing in shorthand dictation.

It was in Britain that she was trained as a senior registered nurse and state certified midwife at Dudley Road Hospital and Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, and Huddersfield Royal Infirmary, Huddersfield.

In1970, she immigrated to Canada where she was a registered nurse, a certified midwife and a certified national baby nurse.

As a registered nurse at Hôtel-Dieu Grace Hospital in Windsor for twenty-five years, she was known as a compassionate nurse and caregiver.

Outside of the health sector, she was a committed community activist for over 50 years.

Clarke founded the Windsor Women Working With Immigrant Women (W5) in1980 and the Montego Alkebulanian Enterprise Bookstore, Windsor's first Black History bookstore in1996.

W5 was founded to help newcomers adapt to their new country, develop professionally and gain the self-confidence needed to improve their lives.

“Today, her organization has become the leading resource for immigrants in Windsor. Ms. Clarke's spirit of solidarity and enterprise has improved the lives of many families,” notes a citation about her at the presentation of the Governor General’s Sovereigns Medal for volunteers in 2012.

She was also a past president and longstanding board member of Women's Enterprise Skills Training of Windsor (WEST) of Windsor Inc.

“Daphne Clarke was a community activist and a true trailblazer for racialized women,” said Percy Hatfield, Member of Provincial Parliament for Windsor-Tecumseh in a statement in the Ontario legislature on April 30.

He said when he was a reporter many years ago Clarke convinced him to buy and read a book about Mary Ann Shadd who was a journalist, an abolitionist, the first woman publisher in Canada and the first black publisher in North America.

“Daphne Clarke was a strong woman who led by example; she was compassionate, had a heart of gold and for her many volunteer efforts she was recognized many times by grateful communities.”

Jean Augustine, a longtime friend, said when Clarke came to Canada they, as black women, were engaged in “an across Canada reaching out” to Black Canadians during which they got to know to know who was doing what in Halifax, Vancouver and other cities.

“When we formed the Congress of Black Women of Canada, Daphne was there and she was also a contact in Windsor so if you wanted something organized you call her and she was always ready. She helped all kinds of people,” says Augustine, a former national president of the Congress of Black Women of Canada and a former Member of Parliament.

In the national organizing of connecting women across Canada, Clarke was the Windsor connector.

Augustine said Clarke was a role model to many and took care of people who had refugee status and needed help.

“Everybody knew Daphne, she knew everybody, and she was a great organizer,” she said, noting that Clarke was very reliable.

Sheila Barker, another longtime friend of Clarke, who used to live in Windsor and returned to Jamaica, flew in for the funeral.  Both were very engaged in the community.

“Whatever board that they were putting together, Daphne was on her board or she was on Daphne’s board,” said Augustine.

Clarke was a founding member of the City of Windsor Race and Ethno Cultural Relations Committee, president of Essex County Black Historical Society, and a
member of Detroit 300 International Underground Railroad Collaborative of Detroit and Underground Railroad Monument Committee.

She also involved in the Multicultural Council of Windsor Essex County, Windsor West Indian Association, Windsor Black Coalition, and Windsor Urban Alliance on Race Relations.

Clarke is one of the women whose story is featured in the book, “Moving Beyond Borders: A History of Black Canadian and Caribbean Women in the Diaspora,” written by Dr. Karen Flynn, associate professor in the Department of Gender and Women’s Studies and the Department of African-American Studies Program at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

Flynn interviewed Clarke in April 2006 at her bookstore in Windsor, noting that it was an emotional interview.

“Daphne spoke about the challenges of being a nurse, but also the loss of her son and husband. She spoke candidly about her struggles with depression, which I found surprising given the stigma in our community around mental illness.”

The professor said Clarke chose not to revel in her pain, and founded the Windsor Women Working with Immigrant Women, which benefited Caribbean domestic workers.

“Daphne recognized their vulnerability and the lack of protection afforded them. No doubt Daphne is a trailblazer who lifted as she climbed. She has left an incredible legacy behind,” said Dr. Flynn. 

Clarke’s work garnered her many awards including: 100 Accomplished Black Canadian Women Award, 2016; Queen's Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal and Governor General's Sovereigns Medal; 2012; Black Leadership Award, Windsor and District Black Coalition, 2006; Queen's Golden Jubilee Commemorative Medal, 2002; Ministry of Citizenship, Volunteer Recognition Awards; 2000; Women's Intercultural Network and LEAF, Persons Day Awards, 1993; and Commemorative Medal for voluntarism celebrating Canada's 125th anniversary, 1992.

She was the mother of Errol James, Roy Clarke, and Avril Clarke who died at sea while training with the HMCS Hunters in 1977. Her husband John passed away in 1990.

“I don’t know if one misses specific things when their mother passes. However, one becomes aware of the gaping absence that exists in the place where she used to be,” says James.

Clarke is also survived by her grandson, Eric, and leaves behind her sisters and brothers, Elfreda, Lena, Carmen, Rene and Wilfred, as well as nieces, nephews and  close friends.

[This story has been published in the North American Weekly Gleaner, May 16-22, 2019.]