Pre-eminent Brooklyn artist Reba Joyce Ashton-Crawford succumbs to cancer at 66

Pre-eminent Brooklyn artist Reba Joyce Ashton-Crawford, wife of Guyanese-born Dr. Clinton Crawford, art history professor emeritus, Medgar Evers College, City University of New York (CUNY), ended her battling with cancer after seven years on Oct. 11. She was 66.

Dr. Crawford told Caribbean Life over the weekend that his wife’s “agency as a creative genius was highlighted with a recording career, along with multiple artistic expressions.

“This super talented creative genius excelled in many mediums, such as still and digital video photography; oils and acrylics on canvas; paper works; wearable art jewelry; fabric and fiber arts; ceramics; and collages,” he said. “The full range of her talents will be displayed in a gallery exhibition soon.”

With numerous documentaries to her credit, such as “Another Look at Egypt,” “Egypt Revisited,” “Pyramid and Sphinx,” “Evolution of Pyramid building,” “The Queen who was King,” “Two Great Temples of Ancient Egypt: Karnak and Luxor,” “Ramses the Great: Architectural Genius;” among other groundbreaking documentaries, Dr. Crawford said his wife “marched along her path to enlightenment.”

“By now, one must glean Reba was beyond the avid visitor to Egypt,” he said, stating that, for almost 20 years, she travelled as the resident videographer and all-round organizer of his Egyptian tours.”

Dr. Crawford said his wife was the co-founder, with him, of the tour company, Sankofa World Tours.

“Reba loved Africa, particularly, Egypt, Ethiopia and Ghana, as much as she loved life,” he said. “Many of Reba’s friends in Brooklyn and beyond have experienced the joy she brought to our expeditions in Egypt, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, and Zimbabwe.

“Reba not only managed the tours but also created her own curriculum of study as a CUNY/BA student at Brooklyn College and beyond,” added Dr. Crawford, disclosing that she wrote and executed a curriculum of study in African and non-Western art histories.

As an avid student of Nile Valley culture, Dr. Crawford said she taught about “some of the missing links” he overlooked.

Brooklyn artist Reba Joyce Ashton-Crawford with Ndebele women. Photo by Dr. Clinton Crawford

“Our beloved conversed with and organized tributes for the Who is Who in the African World: Dr. John Henrik Clarke, Dr. Yosef ben Jochannan [Dr. Ben], Dr. Ivan Van Sertima, Dr. Asa Hillard, Professor Mackey, among others,” he said.

“A noted highlight of her organizing and videographer’s pursuit was Reba’s admiration and comradery with Randy Weston, another giant of the African World, albeit in music,” he added.

Dr. Crawford said Ashton-Crawford’s love for jazz “compelled her energies into working tirelessly toward the success of the Jazzy Jazz festivals held at Medgar Evers College.

“Her presence behind the scenes and camera will be missed by fellow enthusiasts and attendees,” he said.

Reba Joyce Ashton-Crawford was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma on Jan. 21,1957 to Simon and Willie Mae Ashton.

Dr. Crawford said her given name was Reba, meaning “the soul of the Creator God.”

“She was the living manifestation of Re and ba,” he said.

Dr. Crawford said his wife left Oklahoma City during her early teenage years for “the City of Angels—Los Angeles, CA, where she resided into her adulthood of age 33.”

On Jan. 19, 1990, Dr. Crawford said they met Clinton on a blind date at TGIF in Los Angeles, “and that’s all she wrote.”

Dr. Crawford said they wedded on Aug. 15, 1992, thereafter making Brooklyn their home for 33 years.

“On Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, we celebrate a true Nubian queen: her spirit, beauty, grace, poise, and the infinite points of light she exuded,” he said.

Dr. Crawford said the Memorial Tribute will be held, from 2-5 p.m., at Barrett Funeral Services, 427 Ralph Ave., corner of Ralph and Bergen Streets, Brooklyn.

He said parking is available, but seating is limited.

“Bring fresh fruit or ground food,” Dr. Crawford said.

For more information, call 347-243 6907.

Besides Dr. Crawford, Ashton-Crawford is survived by her sister Carroll; brothers Jim and Gregory; cousins Althea (“the favored one”); Dwight (“brother and prayer warrior from another mother”); Quin (her childhood sister friend) Missy; Paul; and other relatives and friends.

“Today, l declare that my life’s work is to celebrate Reba as much as she celebrated me in the most unselfish way,” Dr. Crawford said. “I am the luckiest man to have walked on this glorious path besides Reba. “I love you honey.

“Come join us, as we witness Reba Joyce,” he added. “In Her Own Words, ; Hotep… Ase.’”