Clotilda Douglas-Yakimchuk

Clotilda Adessa Douglas-Yakimchuk (née Coward; January 11, 1932 – April 15, 2021) was a Canadian nurse. She was the first African-Canadian to graduate from the Nova Scotia Hospital School of Nursing and the first black president of the Registered Nurses’ Association of Nova Scotia.

Early life and education Clotilda Adessa Douglas-Yakimchuk was born Clotilda Adessa Coward in Whitney Pier, Nova Scotia, to Arthur and Lillian (Blackman) Coward. Growing up, her family dealt with racism while living in Whitney Pier. Her father was forced to quit his job at the steel plant due to discrimination, and her sister was unable to find a job.

In the early 1950s, Clotilda applied to various nursing schools, but never heard back and was never given a reason for her rejections. Clotilda believed that "they were not open readily, I think, to Black students at the time." She would later earn her post graduate psychiatric nursing certificate from the Nova Scotia Hospital. She earned her Diploma in Adult Education from Saint Francis Xavier University.

Career After earning her nursing qualifications, Coward Douglas began her career at the Nova Scotia Hospital as Head Nurse of the Admission/Discharge Unit. Shortly thereafter, Coward and her first husband Benson Douglas moved to Grenada, West Indies, where she served as a Director in a mental health hospital. This was also where she earned her post graduate midwifery diploma from Colony Hospital in Grenada, West Indies. During this time, Douglas-Yakimchuk also founded the Black Community Development Organization (BCDO) and advocated for Cape Breton University to create a nursing degree program. She retired as director of education services at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital in Sydney in 1994. In addition to the racial barrier she faced during the presidency election, Clotilda also recalls an incident when one of her patients, believed that she was incapable of caring for her due to the colour of her skin. She joined the Sierra Club of Canada because she noticed that many Black Canadians were not involved in environmentalism, despite the environmentally related illness existing within her community.

Awards and honours In 1991, Douglas-Yakimchuk was the recipient of the Harry Jerome Award for her cultural and community achievements. In 2010, she received her Honorary Doctor of Laws from Cape Breton University. In 2018, Douglas-Yakimchuk was appointed a Member of the Order of Nova Scotia.