A hidden epoch: Dedria Humphries Barker relearns her family history

Dedria Humphries Barker was about 9 years old when she first knew she was a writer. That’s when she won movie tickets writing about her dad for a Father’s Day contest at school. She still remembers the film’s title: “‘101 Dalmatians’” she said.

Her book, “Mother of Orphans: The True and Curious Story of Irish Alice, a Colored Man’s Widow,” is what she is the most proud of. “This is my accomplishment,” Humphries Barker said.

Humphries Barker will speak at Capital Area District Library Downtown Branch today to kick off Women’s History Month.

“Mother of Orphans” is about her Irish great-grandmother who married a black man, who died in 1912. When he did, three children were put in an orphanage. “When I became an adult, I realized the story did not make sense,” Humphries Barker said. “Orphanages were for kids who had no parents.” She knew the greatgrandmother was alive.

Wanting to learn the truth, she researched the story for 20 years. Because of shame, much of her family history and how it impacted generations wasn’t talked about. “People should wonder about families,” Humphries Barker said. “Why we do things, the way we do them and why we do them.”

The book is heavily documented ,and each chapter features black and white photos. It took 10 years to write. That included three months' completing artist’s residencies in mountains above Barcelona and in the countryside of Amherst, Virginia.

“Women’s lives have been the backstory/background of all the progress made in the United States, and it is time we told our stories,” Humphries Barker said. “We work hard, day-in, day-out with very little recognition,” she added. Wanting that to change is the focus of her presentation.

“Mother of Orphans” is about the plight of mothers. (Humphries Barker is one of 13 sisters and brothers.) “Women’s stories have gotten lost,” she said. “Communities are stable because women are doing their jobs.”

The book offers revelations about her family history and about growing up in mixed families in America. At the heart of it is how education can offer hope and advancement.

“I learned how much grit my greatgrandmother had in living her cultural values, and how she picked education for her oldest daughter as her last stand,” Humphries Barker said. “It paid off for me because I am a college-educated professional and so is my daughter.”

The paperback also includes abandonment, remarkable achievements, murder and a nephew (Kris Humphries) who was married to Kim Kardashian for 72 days.

For much of her 60 years — including the past 35 in the Lansing area — Humphries Barker has been a working mother with three children. Writing has always been part of those jobs. “I believe writing is the work I was put on earth to do,” she said.

Up until two years ago, Humphries Barker taught writing for 18 years at Lansing Community College. Analyzing and correcting student essays helped sharpen her writing. “The teacher is the one who learns the most,” she said.

From ’89 to ’93, Humphries Barker was an editor for the College of Medicine at Michigan State University. Before that, she taught journalism for one year at MSU. She was also a journalist for The Michigan Chronicle, Miami Times, Milwaukee Courier, Danville (Illinois) Commercial-News and Lansing State Journal.

Humphries Barker wrote articles about the local art scene for City Pulse in the early 2000s. Ohio and Michigan historical societies, Redbook, Utne Reader, Good Housekeeping Magazine, The Detroit News, Salon.com, and more have published her works.

She is the president of her family’s Andrew and Mary Jane Humphries Foundation. Its goal is to promote education. She is a member of Delta Sigma Theta — a public service sorority, Lansing Alumnae Chapter. The affiliation is important to her. The organization of college-educated black women has raised money for scholarships, conducted blood drives, and is working with AARP to get seniors to complete census forms.

“I pledged in college, Tau Chapter, Wayne State University,” she said. That’s where she received a B.A. and a M.A. in English. Humphries Barker also completed a summer minority journalism project in Berkeley, California.

“Mother of Orphans” debuted Feb. 22 at the Lansing Area African Genealogy 2020 Winter Conference held at the Union Missionary Baptist Church. Humphries Barker was the keynote speaker. “The reaction was tremendous,” she said. “They bought every book I brought to the conference. It was a wonderful way to start this adventure.”

Humphries Barker Author Appearance

Wednesday, March 4, 6:30 p.m.

CADL Downtown

401 S. Capitol Ave., Lansing

Cadl.org, (517) 367-6363