By Jathan Janove–
Following a career as an attorney litigating school desegregation cases, Claire Hartfield shifted her professional focus to creating new education options for youth in under-resourced urban communities.
She currently consults with the Alain Locke School, which is named after the first African American Rhodes Scholar. Located in East Garfield Park on the west side of Chicago, the school provides local children with a broad liberal arts education, including technology, music and the arts. The school’s mission is to provide kids with a world class education, giving them the tools to achieve success in a global society.
Hartfield’s writing career began when she took five years off to raise three daughters. She enjoyed reading to them so much but saw that there were some stories not being told so she decided to write her own book for children.
Her most recent book, A Few Red Drops: The Chicago Race Riot of 1919, won the 2019 Coretta Scott King Book Award. The book was inspired by her grandmother’s stories about personally experiencing this riot and by Hartfield watching coverage of the protests of the police slaying of Michael Brown in Ferguson, Missouri.
Given the choice of anyone, whom would you want as a dinner guest and what would you talk about?
There are three.
Nelson Mandela. For most of his life, he was persecuted and suffered horribly and yet upon release from prison, he led his country toward reconciliation. I would ask how he managed to not become bitter and to remain spiritual and focused on healing a nation.
Mikhail Baryshnikov. Before law school, my vocation was dancing. I was in awe of Baryshnikov. When he was with the New York American Ballet Theatre, I used to wait outside the stage door for an opportunity to chat with him. He wasn’t just an extraordinary dancer. He was a creative genius. I would love to ask him about his creative process and his vision for dance as a medium for expression that impacts the world.
Hillary Clinton. I am a big admirer of hers. She’s incredibly smart and one of the most dedicated public servants we’ve had. Yet she has trouble connecting with people and so has not been given the credit she deserves and instead has suffered unfair and misplaced criticism. I’d love to hear how she has dealt with overcoming the obstacles to achieving her goals and I’d want to know her next steps.
What’s something in your life for which you are grateful?
The people in my life. This includes my family, not just nuclear but extended. We are very nurturing of each other – and fun too! My friend group is smaller than some but it’s deep and rich.
What’s a treasured memory?
When I was a little girl, my mother would take me to downtown Chicago. I was just learning to read and was fascinated with street signs and would ask her about them. The vast majority of streets were named after white men. I did not wonder why there were no women or people of color; I just accepted that these were our leaders.
In the past couple of years, a controversy arose over a downtown street named after Italo Balbo, a fascist, anti-Semite and right-hand man to Mussolini. Various suggestions have been made for names to replace him.
As part of my book research, I learned a lot about one of Chicago’s great leaders, Ida B. Wells. Ida was born a slave and later became a pioneering journalist chronicling lynchings in the South. She also worked tirelessly for women’s rights and to build important institutions in Chicago’s black community. The opportunity to work for a center city street named after a black woman leader was exciting. Following a somewhat torturous journey through Chicago politics, we prevailed. I was there for the unveiling.
Now, when I take the bus downtown, I smile every time I hear the announcement, “Next stop, Ida B. Wells Drive.”
What’s an embarrassing moment in your life you’re willing to share?
I have an overpowering fear of not remembering people’s names. I’ll be at a social gathering and recognize someone I’ve talked with many times. But fear creeps over me. What if I say his name wrong?! What if I’ve mixed her name up with someone else’s?! I end up psyching myself out. It’s embarrassing to avoid using the name of someone you know well from fear of getting it wrong.
Your house catches fire. After saving your loved ones and pets, you have time to safely make a final dash. What would you grab?
This one hits close to home (pardon the pun.) My then husband and I bought a house in Chicago. Before moving in, we had it remodeled. However, due to the closing date of the condo we were selling, we moved all of our furniture to the top floor of the house and stayed with my parents while the work was being completed.
Unfortunately, the workers staining the floor forgot to leave the windows open. The house got hot, the floor combusted, and the furnace blew up. All of our possessions were destroyed. This was the pre-digital age, so we lost a lot of irreplaceable photographs.
Yet I remember not being overly upset about the loss of my possessions. I think it’s because I’ve always valued people over things. However, if there’s one thing I could have retrieved, it would have been a very small ceramic vase my father gave me at his 60th birthday party. I associate it with loving memories.
What do you find spiritual in life?
I think we have three sides, intellectual, emotional and spiritual. I create space for spiritual life every day. Indoors I contemplate objects or little writings placed around the house. Outside, I’m two blocks from Lake Michigan and love taking walks along the lake. Meditation, listening to music and dance are spiritual for me. At church, when I hear an inspiring sermon, it renews my spirit.
What would the current you advise a younger you?
I would tell my younger self, “You may think you’ve figured life out, that you’ve got it all mapped out. But you haven’t. You really have no idea what the future holds. Be open to detours along the way. They can lead to the most important experiences.”
If you could say something to a deceased friend, relative or colleague, something unsaid during that person’s lifetime, what would it be?
One of my closest friends was a white male Republican. Though we came from totally different backgrounds we could always converse with each other on political and other hot-button issues in a positive, constructive, even lighthearted way. He was a wonderful human being.
Last year when I was out of town, I got a call saying that he had died suddenly and unexpectedly from a massive heart attack. I was devastated and hurried back to Chicago for his memorial service. At the service, I met numerous people who didn’t know each other. Yet they all talked about him the same way; what a wonderful person he was and how easy it was to talk to him, even on controversial subjects.
I would say to him, “Mark, the world was fortunate you walked in it. You had a gift and made a difference. I still miss you very much.”
What’s the moral of your life story?
Life is not a straight line. You don’t simply take one step in front of the other until you’re done. When you see a branch that looks compelling, don’t hesitate to veer off the initial path and follow it. Otherwise, you may miss the best of what life has to offer.
Jathan Janove is Principal of Janove Organization Solutions, http://jathanjanove.com. Through consulting, executive coaching and training, he works with employers to create fully engaged workplace cultures. He also practiced law in Salt Lake City, Utah and Portland, Oregon.
