every little bit counts LESSONS FOR LIBERATION FROM CLARICE DURHAM
ABOUT Clarice Davis Durham was a revolutionary educator, arts patron, social activist, philanthropist, and world traveler. Born in Alabama, Clarice settled and found home in Chicago in 1931. During her time in Chicago, Clarice dedicated her life to promoting education, civil rights, social justice, political empowerment, abolition, and other progressive causes in communities around the world. Before joining the ancestors in 2018, Clarice told the story of her upbringing, life, and work in an oral history interview. This zine highlights just a few of the lessons Clarice learned in her time working for liberation.
“I always felt like I had a responsibility... that if I knew that there were wrongs being done, that it’s just wasn’t an option to be quiet about it. And I just wanted to be involved and develop any changes, and I don’t know how I developed that feeling but that is the way I felt.”
“IT AND THE
TAKES A LOT OF TIME CONCENTRATION TO DO THINGS THAT NEED TO BE DONE."
“We are concerned with police brutality, and with treatment of prisoners. The fact that the system now seems like a system of punishment rather than correction... does nothing to teach people how to better citizens, you know, to give them the education and skills that they need when they come out of prison... We are also concerned with the lack of adequate healthcare the prisoners get, and we are opposed to the death penalty.”
every little STAY
INFORMED and involved
THINGS TAKE TIME, patience, and persistence
CHANGE
IS
A
CONSTANT kind of struggle
LOOK
BACK on history
START
WITH
WHAT you can do
bit counts EXPECT
RESISTANCE and take your time
EVERYONE
BUILD
HAS
A responsibility
USING openness and honesty
KEEP
YOUR community alive
COMMIT
YOURSELF to do something
HAVE
HOPE THAT things can change
“The challenge of change, of people acting change, people accepting the fact that some have to give up what they have on the basis of unfair practices. Everybody has to sacrifice if there is going to be change... People can’t be silent and can't expect somebody else to do that. They have to become part.”
"I
THINK THAT’S A LESSON FOR EVERYBODY WHO IS FIGHTING FOR PROGRESSIVE CHANGES. THEY CAN’T SIT BACK. IT’S A CONSTANT, CONSTANT, KIND OF STRUGGLE.”
“It just takes time, time, patience and persistence and things cant continue, at some point something is going to happen to make things better or worse, hopefully for the better.”
FIND
MORE!
The information in this zine was pulled from from archival material, oral history interviews, and news clippings from the Chicago Public Library and Columbia College Chicago. It offers a small glimpse of the tremendous impact that Clarice had during her time in Chicago, and there is so much more to discover and share! Here are a few places to explore to find out more... ABOUT CLARICE: Vivian Harsh Research Collection, Chicago Public Library Richard Durham Papers Charles Davis Papers Barbara Allen Papers Chicago Anti-Apartheid Collection, College Archives & Special Collections, Columbia College Chicago Word Warrior: Richard Durham, Radio, and Freedom ABOUT HER WORK: National Anti-Imperialist Movement in Solidarity with African Liberation Eta Creative Arts Foundation Chicago Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression Chicago Association for the Education of Young Children Vivian Harsh Research Collection of the Chicago Public Library NAACP Chicago Southside Branch
DEDICATION This zine is dedicated to Clarice and the stories that keep us alive. Many thanks to Mariame Kaba, Frank Chapman, and Lauren Ashley Alexander for caring for Clarice's story so tenderly.