Oral History Interview with Dawud Clark on March 14, 2021

Oral history interview with Dawud Clark conducted by Abdul-Zahir Sadid on March 14, 2021. Interview written by Dr. Alisa Perkins (Research Director) and Abdul-Zahir Sadid. Dawud Clark was born in 1959 in Germany while his father was stationed there as part of his military service. After Clark’s family returned to the US in the 1960s, they settled in Detroit, where his father worked for Ford Motor Company and his mother pursued a career as a teacher. After graduating from Murray-Wright High School, Clark earned his EMT license from Wayne County Community College. He then obtained a Philosophy of Law degree from Grand Valley State University and subsequently worked as a paralegal. Clark was exposed to Islam in college, and his identity as a Muslim became central to his life when he was incarcerated. Within prison, Clark became active in protecting prisoner’s rights, particularly Muslims’ ability to maintain halal diets and to access Islamic education. In 2018, Clark joined the Muslim Center Mosque and Community Center. He began volunteering in the mosque’s kitchen and working as a security guard for the mosque. Aside from his activities at the Muslim Center, Clark volunteers with the neighborhood revitalization organization Dream of Detroit, where he employs his skills in carpentry, plumbing and other aspects of housing rehabilitation. Clark played a chief role in renovating Project Homecoming, a transitional home for returning citizens. He currently serves as the House Manager for the home. In the interview, Clark reflects on his motivation to help build up the community, housing density, and economic life in the neighborhood around the Muslim Center and his continued advocacy for prisoner’s rights and the well-being of formerly incarcerated citizens.https://scholarworks.wmich.edu/dream-storytelling-interviews/1015/thumbnail.jp