Ruqaiyah Khadijah "Kiah" Morris (born March 14, 1976) is an American politician who formerly served as a member of the Vermont House of Representatives for the Democratic Party.
Kiah Morris | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Vermont House of Representatives from the Bennington 2-2 district | |
| In office January 7, 2015 – September 25, 2018 | |
| Preceded by | Anne Lamy Mook |
| Succeeded by | Jim Carroll |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ruqaiyah Khadijah Morris March 14, 1976 Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | James Lawton |
| Residence | Bennington, Vermont |
| Alma mater | University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BA) |
Early life and education
editBorn in Chicago, Morris earned a B.A. in Gender Studies from the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign and a graduate degree from Roosevelt University.[1]
Political career
editMorris was first elected in 2014 alongside longtime Republican representative Mary A. Morrissey.[2] The two were reelected in 2016 after running unopposed.[3] The only African American woman in the state legislature, Morris announced in August 2018 that she would not seek reelection to a third term following a campaign of racist threats against her and her family.[4] She resigned the following month,[5][6] citing as an additional factor the desire to focus on her husband's recovery from open-heart surgery.[7][8]
Morris has also served as director of the Alliance for Community Transformations, based in Bennington.[9]
Electoral history
edit| Date | Election | Candidate | Party | Votes | % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vermont House of Representatives, Bennington 2-2 district | |||||
| Nov 4, 2014[10] | General | Mary A. Morrissey | Republican | 1,241 | 42.49 |
| Kiah Morris | Democratic | 873 | 29.89 | ||
| Joann Erenhouse | Democratic | 797 | 27.29 | ||
| Write-Ins | 10 | 0.33 | |||
| Anne Lamy Mook did not seek reelection; seat stayed Democratic | |||||
| Nov 8, 2016[11] | General | Mary A. Morrissey | Republican | 2,143 | 54.61 |
| Kiah Morris | Democratic | 1,757 | 44.78 | ||
| Write-Ins | 24 | 0.61 | |||
Personal life
editFilms
editDocumentary
edit- Backlash: Misogyny in the Digital Age[12]. Canada. 2022. La Ruelle Films. Dir. Léa Clermont-Dion, Guylaine Maroist. [Je vous salue salope: la misogynie au temps du numérique[13]] (French version).
References
edit- ^ a b "Representative Ruqaiyah 'Kiah' Morris". Vermont General Assembly. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
- ^ Whitcomb, Keith (November 5, 2014). "Kiah Morris, Mary Morrissey win Bennington State House 2-2". Bennington Banner. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ Therrien, Jim (November 10, 2016). "Keefe edges out incumbent Berry in Bennington-4 House race; Browning re-elected". VTDigger. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ Lindholm, Jane; Rosen, Sam Gale (August 30, 2018). "Rep. Kiah Morris Details 'Pervasive' Threats, Decision To Withdraw From Election". Vermont Public Radio. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ a b Flynn, Meagan (January 15, 2019). "A white nationalist's harassment helped force a black female lawmaker to resign. He won't face charges". Washington Post. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
- ^ Baker, Vicky (January 18, 2019). "Kiah Morris case: How far do free speech protections go in the US?". BBC News. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
- ^ "Black Vermont lawmaker Kiah Morris resigns following threats". CBS News. September 26, 2018. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ Stack, Liam (September 26, 2018). "Black Female Lawmaker in Vermont Resigns After Racial Harassment". The New York Times. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ Carson, Derek (August 18, 2016). "Vermont legislators react strongly to 'racist' tweet at Bennington's Rep. Kiah Morris". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved June 11, 2019.
- ^ "VT Elections Database – 2014 State Representative General Election – Bennington 2-2 District". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ "VT Elections Database – 2016 State Representative General Election – Bennington 2-2 District". Vermont Secretary of State. Retrieved September 28, 2018.
- ^ Knight, Chris (Jan 13, 2023). "Film review: Backlash will make you angry, and that's good". National Post.
- ^ Caillou, Annabelle (2 September 2022). ""Je vous salue salope": "elles vivent comme dans un film d'horreur"". Le Devoir.