Clarice Durham

From KeyWiki

Clarice Durham is a long time activist in Chicago's A frican American community and a friend of Timuel Black since high school^[1].

She was married to Richard Durham and was the sister-in-law of the late Earl Durham^[2].

Early life

Clarice Davis was born in Mobile, Alabama and moved to Chicago when she was eleven years old. She attended Wendell Phillips High School until it was temporarily closed because of a fire. She graduated from DuSable High School where she was the valedictorian of her class.

Clarice Davis met Richard Durham in the early 1940s while working with the National Negro Congress. The couple married in 1942^[3].

Activism

During their married life, Clarice Durham made significant contributions to husband's work by reading, editing and typing many of the Destination Freedom scripts. Mrs. Durham has remained a lifelong human rights activist. After working for the National Negro Congress, she was a member of the Progressive Party in Chicago in the late 1940s. Mrs. Durham continues to be an activist for the Chicago chapter of the National Alliance against Racist and Political Repression and has campaigned for freedom for Mark Clements, a victim of police torture^[4].

Richard Criley Memorial

In 2000, Clarice Durham served on the welcoming committee for the Chicago Memorial Service for Richard Criley, a long-time activist with the Communist Party USA and a leader of the Chicago Committee to Defend the Bill of Rights.^[5]

Working with Ishmael Flory

Clarice Durham worked closely with life long Chicago Communist Party USA member Ishmael Flory^[6].

"He was very persuasive and a consummate organizer," said Clarice Durham, who campaigned with Mr. Flory against South African apartheid. "He could talk to people across all kinds of lines -- social, political and racial."

DSA Dinner

From left to right: Timuel Black, Sidney Hollander, Jane Ramsey, C.J. Hawking, Clarice Durham, and Frank Llewellyn.

On May 1 2009 Clarice Durham presented an award to Timuel Black at the Chicago Democratic Socialists of America 51st Annual Eugene V. Debs-Norman Thomas-Michael Harrington Dinner^[7].

...if you are on the left in Chicago and involved in politics in any serious way, you know the name Tim Black if not the person. The award was presented to Tim Black by Clarice Durham, a chum from high school and every bit as much a political activist as he.

NAARPR

In 2009 Clarice Durham was co-chair of the Chicago branch of the National Alliance Against Racist and Political Repression^[8].

References