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Connie Marks |
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Book launch at the Imperial War Museum in 1991 - Connie is third from right. |
credit Armet Francis
In photos Keith Waithe, Sister Monica ,Margaret Noel from the Descendants, Mia Morris and Councillor Mery Umeh Hammersmith and Fulham Council |
ATS in Jamaica during the 1940s |
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Commemoration Connie Marks
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page 1 | page 2 | Links |
an extract from the book 'West Indian Women at War' click here |
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Words from Mia Morris |
Conne Marks BEM MBE has passed
We are saddened on hearing of the passing of Connie Marks and wish to pass our condolences to her family and stalwart friends. Our great Caribbean Queen our own Miss Lou has moved on . We had a friendship which stretched over a thirty year period, and we continuously booked her poetry and storytelling events throughout the 70s and 80s for community events across London.
We remember her humour, her humanity and wish for dignity at all times plus her glorious smile. Connie's vibrant spirit, her aspirations for the continuous acknowledgement and support of all aspects of Mary Seacole and her love of the community and Jamaica.
Mia Morris Director of Well Placed Consultancy and owner and founder of www.black-history-month.co.uk http://www.maryseacole.com/maryseacole/pages/newsItems.html |
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Words from Allan Lazarus |
She was beacon of light in our community and therefore a great loss to us all.
Condolences to her relatives & close friends
May her soul rest in peace.
Allan Lazarus
(Lt. Governor, Kiwanis International, UK Division)
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Words from Clive Soley - Lord Soley of Hammersmith |
Connie Marks
Connie was a remarkable woman of generosity, warmth and commitment. Her photographic record of the contribution to the war effort by so many people from the Caribbean was itself a testimony to her love of both Britain and the Caribbean and all we stood for. My memory of Connie is about Mary Seacole. Many years ago she asked me as a relatively new Member of Parliament for Hammersmith to come to the grave in Kensal Green to start an annual memorial service. Connie said to me "Mary really ought to have a proper memorial somewhere in central London". I made a mental note of that and resolved that in due course I would try and make her wish come true. When I retired from the House of Commons and went to the Lords I decided it was time to launch the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal. The appeal has now been promised a site at St Thomas' Hospital opposite the Houses of Parliament and McAlpines are committed to constructing the Memorial at cost price. The Committee has raised close to £50,000. We are on our way to making Connie's dream come true. I am just very sorry that she will not be with us when it comes to fruition. But I know she will be there in spirit. Thank you Connie - you were the inspiration. Clive Soley
Lord Soley of Hammersmith.
Chairman of the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal. |
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Words from Shango Baku |
Thanks for an outstanding Black woman who accredited her race in the finest way possible and left an indelible mark on all our lives. We need to keep and cherish her in our collective memory. Greetings Shango Baku |
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Tribute to Connie Mark 1923-2007 Dr. Vince Hines |
Connie Mark, 1923-2007, another of our fellow travellers on the Time Line has stepped off, gone to the Realms of our Esteem Ancestors, on 3 June 2007, London, England.
During her journey with us, Connie Mark did her duty to Humanity faithfully and to the best of her ability, with bravery, dignity and creativity. She helped to heal the sick, comfort the dying, defend the weak and gave voice to those who were less able, in their call for help and social justice. BE IT ANTI-RACIST and Equality campaigns or institutional reminders about invaluable contributions Black People made to the British Heritage.
Connie led from the front at a time when Britain was devoid of race and civil rights laws and opened to tides of racial, class, gender and other prejudices and discriminations. From that vantage of moral certainty, Connie Mark, this daughter of our DNA, African-Jamaican, ensured that Mary Jane Grant Seacole, 1805-1881, and her work with British troops during the Crimean War (1854-1856) got due recognition, and Black Women visibility shined brighter.
We will miss you, Connie. Yet we recognise that passing is as important as arriving.
Sit in the comfort of the Great Divine Light. You have done well. Rest In Peace.
Dr. Vince Hines
Trustee
For and on behalf of The Vince Hines Foundation, Trustees, Management Committee members, staff, beneficiaries and associates.
19 June 2007
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Our sincere condolences to the family and friends of Mrs Connie Marks, BEM, MBE:
Born Kingston Jamaica: 21.December 1923 - Died 3rd June 2007, London, England. Here are some links of interviews that enable us to hear and see Connie in action:
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Thank's for your donations: The amount that was collected at the church for the Mary Seacole Memorial Statue Appeal [MSMSA] came to £500. A very
generous contribution to the Appeal in Connie's memory. visit the site
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