A community has gathered to celebrate the life of a “poetic pioneer”, sharing the handwritten collection compiled by her daughters in her honour. 

Mertell Walker, former chair of the Sheffield and District African Caribbean Community Association (SADACCA), passed in August 2024 aged 91, and was celebrated last Saturday through the launch of Hidden Pearls at the centre in Wicker, Sheffield.

Her daughter, Jane Walker, said her mother loved the movie Hidden Figures as it shared a piece of history that was nearly forgotten. 

Jane hopes a movie could be adapted as a tribute to her mother, so her story is not hidden in the basement like the characters, but shown through her poems.

She said: “I couldn’t see myself throwing this whole work away. I thought she was just going to disappear. That’s where the book came out as Hidden Pearls.”

Carmen Franklin, Mrs Walker’s former mentor, was also honoured throughout the night for how she motivated her late mentee to write and express herself. 

Mrs Franklin is a former college English teacher who taught Mertell in the writing classes at the community centre.  

She said: “Mertell was the chair of our ladies’ group. She brought inspiration, not just by the way she did her poetry and her plays, but the way she handled the women in the group.

“Her encouragement, her smiles and laughter – she brought a lot to the group.”

Mrs Franklin hopes that more British Black women will be inspired to share their own stories.

The SADACCA centre opened in 1986, and has been a hub for the Caribbean community in Sheffield ever since. 

Lyn Bent, a member of the SADACCA women’s group, said her fondest memory was being a part of the Washer Women play.

The play centred around six women washing clothes by the river, celebrating the women who support each other in their day-to-day lives. 

Ms Bent said: “This talent has been hidden, so this is exposing it so that everybody can see this wonderful lady who is so blessed.”

Guest speaker Carl Case, director of operations cultural appropriate resources, recalled his experience arriving in Sheffield in the 90s and being a part of the early days of SADACCA.

Mr Case compared the late Mertell to Louise Bennett, a renowned Jamaican poet, who wrote poetry in patois, recording her cultural heritage.

Mr Case said: “ A poetic pioneer, a voice of the people. She is passing on the stories of her mother, of the women’s group, on to another generation.

“There’s a saying, if it’s not written down, it never happened. We’re so thankful that Janet has written this down.”

The Hidden Pearls book is available for purchase online at the Conscious Dreams Bookshop: https://consciousdreamsbookshop.com/products/hidden-pearls