Sheila Lorraine Walker
Sheila Lorraine Walker (née Black) was a deeply caring and powerful wife, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. After a long, courageous battle with cancer, she left this world on March 29, 2021, at age 72.
Sheila came from a strong and fearless line of women. Sara Bradley, her mother, impactfully organized and protested against Chicago slumlords. Sallie and Annie Giles, her great grandmother and grandmother, were notable figures in the efforts of Black sharecroppers to organize a union in Elaine, Arkansas. Their community’s fight for basic labor rights was met with retaliation, in the form of the horrific Elaine Race Massacre of 1919, which Sallie and Annie survived.
Sheila was born on July 27, 1948, in Hot Springs, AR. She was raised on the South Side of Chicago amid the modern Civil Rights and Black Power Movements. She and her seven siblings grew up poor, however, Sheila always lived with a rich, giving, and generous spirit. She carried her foremothers’ sense of activism and social justice throughout her life by remaining steadfastly devoted to the principles of Black liberation and justice.
After graduating from Hyde Park Academy High School, Sheila studied at Loyola University Chicago. In September 1969, Sheila met Ivor Walker, a Jamaican immigrant, the love of her life, and husband for 50 years. They moved to the Bronx, NY, and together had two children: Marcus and Apryl. Sheila joined the U.S. Army Reserves in 1974 and she subsequently served as a U.S. Federal Police Officer for over a decade. In 1988, her family moved to Syracuse, NY where she worked as a county healthcare community outreach worker. In that role, she proudly facilitated projects such as a support group for Black women facing breast cancer. She eventually retired and settled near her daughter in Wilmington, DE. Sheila was an active member and leader in the Re-evaluation Counseling community for many years. Sheila dedicated much of her later years to promoting racial healing, justice, and reconciliation by traveling back to Elaine, AR, and continuing to speak out publicly on the legacy of the Elaine Massacre.
Sheila was fun-loving and lived life to its fullest. She loved everyone and would talk to anyone. She was an excellent cook and loved to talk about food. She was fiercely proud of her family. Sheila was a queen, in a crowded room she reigned and held court. She loved to play cards and “talk stuff.” She delighted in spending time with her grandchildren. Most significantly, Sheila was extraordinarily generous. Throughout her adult life, she and her husband Ivor took others into their home with caring love, including an uncle, siblings, and a niece. All who ever met Sheila felt her warmth, big heart, and joyful spirit, even when their time with her was brief.
Sheila is survived by her husband Ivor, son Marcus, daughter Apryl, a daughter-in-law and a son-in-law, three grandchildren, four siblings, and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends.
A virtual memorial service is scheduled for 7 pm on April 22, 2021. To request memorial service details, please email slwmemorial@gmail.com. In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to the Re-evaluation Foundation Black Liberation and Community Development Project, in memory of Sheila Walker. Donations made by check or money order, payable to “Re-Evaluation Foundation” with “BLCD Project in Memory of Sheila Walker” in the memo, can be mailed to 19370 Firlands Way North, Shoreline, WA 98133-3925.