Kemi Morten interview, 2020-08-19
Scope and Contents
D.C. Oral History Collaborative (DCOHC) is a citywide initiative to train community members in oral history skills, fund new and ongoing oral history projects, connect volunteers with oral history projects, and publicize existing oral history collections. DCOHC is a project of DC Public Library, HumanitiesDC, and the Historical Society of Washington, D.C. This collection contains oral history interviews, transcripts, and indexes produced by DCOHC grantees.
Dates
- Creation: 2020-08-19
Creator
- Morten, Kemi (Person)
Language of Materials
English
Biographical / Historical
District of Columbia attorney, Kemi Morten, was born in the south side of Chicago, at Cook County Hospital. Early in her childhood, she learned firsthand about the harms of racial discrimination and narrowly avoided threats of racist violence when traveling with her family. Seeing the need for creating positive support structures for Black youth, Kemi assisted her father in founding the drug prevention and education program Unfoldment Inc. She was later hired to work as staff director and counsel to the Committee on the Judiciary for Ward 8 Councilmember, Wilhelmina Rolark. Kemi later chaired the D.C. Civilian Complaint Review Board, but was fired by D.C. Mayor Marion Barry because of her near-ceaseless commitment to improving police accountability and civilian oversight. Her career as a lawyer and her progressive politics led Kemi to various countries and causes around the world, including trips to Cuba and Mozambique, among countless other locations. Her Unfoldment Law Office is located on nearly two acres of hallowed ground that was once part of the largest slave plantation in Washington D.C. The land, located in the Bellevue neighborhood of Ward 8, is where countless African-American runaways sought refuge from slavery and helped President Abraham Lincoln and the Union Army defend the Capitol from General Lee's Confederate army during the Civil War.
Extent
From the Collection: 1.13 Terabytes
Abstract
Lawyer and activist, Kemi Morten, begins by discussing her family dynamic and childhood moving between Chicago, Illinois and Baltimore, Maryland. She describes learning the importance of celebrating and protecting her identity as an African-American from the persistent pressures of white-centering cultural influences. Whether it was her Father describing his mistreatment as a journalist during the Emmett Till trial, or her own experiences avoiding threats by white people at gunpoint, Kemi bore witness to the unflappable resiliency and selfless kindness practiced in Black communities across the U.S. Remembering the late Wilhelmina Rolark, and the lasting legacy of the United Black Fund, Kemi describes being fired by D.C. Mayor Marion Barry for refusing to remain silent in the midst of rampant police violence and threats to D.C. residents who filed complaints. Soon after, Kemi was contacted by members of the twelve John Does to insist she help them start a drug-treatment program at Lorton Correctional Complex. Kemi mentions travels with progressive activists and friends as guests of government to visit various Heads of State. Impressing the importance of international travel, she goes on to describe the beauty and self-determination necessary to reach the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro, as well as other memories of significance. This oral history interview was conducted under a grant from the Humanities Council of Washington, DC to the Ward 8 Woods Conservancy.
Geographic
Topical
Repository Details
Part of the The People's Archive, Martin Luther King, Jr. Memorial Library Repository