Karl Clarke’s Immigration & Entrepreunership Story
In line with our June theme of celebrating immigration journeys, Karl Clarke, owner of Dew Point Creamery, agreed to answer some questions about his personal experiences and the road he traversed to make a better life for himself.
“My immigration story is as similar as it is common. I came to the United States for educational opportunities and the quality of life that it affords. Upon completing high school at 16 years old, I studied at a community college in Jamaica for a year and half with the intention of becoming a lawyer. Then in 2004, I immigrated from Jamaica at the age of 17 to continue my education. This time, I decided to pursue the environmental sciences as I’d lived through the impact of natural disasters, such as the devastating 2004 Hurricane Ivan. As a late teen, I became fascinated with the awe that was the hurricane and how people responded to it.”
Clarke’s desire to find a common ground between people of different backgrounds was fuel for his previous profession.
“My immigration story (as simple as it may be), and educational aspiration, became fodder to educate the public (children in particular) about the natural world, and how regardless of where your life story begins, we all experience similar histories. This outlook would come in handy when I became a New York City Earth and Environmental Science teacher. Being an immigrant helped me to better connect with our city’s diverse kids whilst scientific understanding of the natural world made me very qualified to serve them.”
Although that was his passion, his life eventually took a different route, as he tried his hand at becoming an entrepreneur.
“Starting Dew Point Creamery came out of necessity more than anything else. I rarely tell others the real reason that I started my company, but rather find a glossy story that they can connect with. But in truth/reality, I had returned to New York City after a career as a high school science teacher and brief stint in organizational change management. I had two master degrees, conducted research at a national center (the National Center for Atmospheric Research), and was licensed to teach from the American Museum of Natural History. One would say that I was highly qualified for any job, but after returning to the city, I could not find a job for a year and half. I had hundreds of jobs applied to and few interviews. This was between October 2017 and February 2019. Some interviews left a sting of pure dismay to the point where jobs that I got denied for became open shortly after they chose their candidate.
Frustrated by the lack of prospects, I decided to start my own company Dew Point Creamery, a Black-owned, liquor-infused ice cream company. The original plan was to create a space for artists and scientists to come together to educate, inspire and create. Ice cream was designed to be a hook that would encourage the public to visit this space as part of the fun/engaging enterprise. I wanted the public to be creators too – to collaborate with both scientists and artists.”
This vision was what kept Clarke going through his hardships.
“Then came a major challenge: living on savings in an expensive city that is New York City. I could not afford the high rents, nor did I have an art collaborator. My scientific background solved half this challenge, but only so far. So, I decided to develop the ice cream part of the business with the intention of creating my art/science space in the future.
“IT IS A DREAM COME TRUE TO HAVE GOTTEN THIS FAR”
As anyone knows, starting a new business with no business experience is filled with so many challenges. Funny enough, I had to learn how to make ice cream (weird). This led to a great solution by creating and now selling some of the best liquor-infused ice cream on the market (customers agree). Navigating New York City laws, especially as it relates to this unique product, was a challenge in itself. For example, do my products fall under the jurisdiction of the State Liquor Authority, Department of Health, Department of Agriculture, etc.? Where am I permitted to sell? If I sell as a mobile company, could I secure permits? Given the state limits on mobile vending permits to protect the restaurant industry, how can I survive without having financial sources to even open up? It took about 2 years of making mistakes, learning, funding everything from my current primary job, and trying to figure out what it means to be an entrepreneur. All this including recipe development was done by myself so it is a dream come through to have gotten this far.”
While creating the business was one of the hardest endeavors Clarke undertook, he describes that simply being an immigrant comes with its own unique challenges.
“BEING AN IMMIGRANT HAS NOT BEEN EASY”
“Being an immigrant has not been easy. Professionally, I had studied in states where the greatest difficulty was minimizing my “immigrant-ness” (accent, cultural differences, etc.) to reduce stereotypes and gain acceptance. Other immigrants would say the same. In Oregon during my PhD studies, it was so normal to ask “where can I get weed from?” You could not imagine that this question started the first week of moving there once locals heard my accent or heard me speaking of my Jamaican heritage. As immigrants would note, just being recognized as a qualified professional would be nice (and treated with recognition and respect). In Texas, the biggest challenge was building a community that respects a culture that locals have very little experience with. I could go on and on, but you get the idea.
For someone who works primarily in “white” spaces, acceptance, inclusion and equity have always been the greatest challenge in my immigration journey.”
His message of acceptance for everyone of different backgrounds hits close to home for many immigrants and their communities. That’s why it’s important to have people to rely on, but for Clarke, this was a journey he did completely by himself.
“This journey has been a solo journey that I have been trying to figure out since immigrating to the United States.”
Clarke elaborated on what it means to be an immigrant to him.
“An immigrant means accepting the unique experiences, culture and self that I/we bring with me/us and to the Unites States’ story. It means the journey will not be easy, but we find solutions for almost every bump in the road.”
He shared a final message with those who may be struggling as he once was.
“Be persistent in your journey. Accept yourself, culture, and the experiences that you bring with you as an immigrant. In your efforts to navigate the process of acceptance, it is your immigrant identity and sensibilities that will push you to thrive. You may need to take your story into your own hands, and if that mean starting your own business, your immigrant experiences will make you all the more poised for success.”
