Kiah Morris

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 (1976-03-14) March 14, 1976 (age 49) Chicago, Illinois, U.S.
Political party	Democratic
Spouse	James Lawton
Residence	Bennington, Vermont
Education	University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (BA)

Early life and education

Born 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

Morris 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

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

Morris is married to James Lawton.^[5] They have a son.^[1]

Films

Documentary

• 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).