MIP’s Diverse Perspectives: Deja Kemp

By Deja Kemp

MIP’s Diverse Perspectives is a monthly blog feature to spotlight a member from North Carolina’s community of diverse attorneys and legal professionals. Members have the opportunity to share a personal perspective through a brief set of interview questions.

This month’s perspective is courtesy of Deja Kemp. 

What law school did you attend and what was your graduation year?

I attended Wake Forest University, and I graduated in 2016.

What inspired or prompted you to become an attorney?

I started off my career as a middle school science teacher in a high poverty school. As a teacher, I witnessed firsthand the systemic issues that impact teaching and learning and wanted to explore the way that law could be used as a tool for educational equity. I decided to go to law school to figure out how to advocate for kids and their communities in different ways.

Please describe a barrier or obstacle you have overcome in your professional career.

My biggest obstacle I have overcome has been navigating law school and the legal profession as a first-generation college student. I grew up as the oldest of six children in a small town. Growing up, I never knew any lawyers, and I never met any lawyers who looked like me. My grandparents were sharecroppers who moved North during the Great Migration, and both my parents were blue-collar workers. Being the “first” in my family meant that I had to learn a lot by “trial and error.” I didn’t have the network or opportunities that many of my classmates had and was forced to seek out mentors and build my own communities of support. For example, it was my mentor who wrote my law school recommendation and who later hired me as an attorney for the school district. 

Do you have a message of encouragement for others who may have experienced similar challenges or adversity as a diverse attorney?

My biggest message to other first-generation lawyers and other diverse attorneys is to seek out community. Community can look different for everyone — but you can’t do this alone. You need to find your people. Find mentors, colleagues, friends — folks who will be your advocate. I would also highly recommend that diverse attorneys prioritize therapy. The legal profession can be grueling, and the field can be incredibly hostile, especially to lawyers of color. Therapy can be a much-needed lifeline for lawyers navigating this incredibly complex and difficult terrain.

Deja Kemp, JD is Research Faculty at the University of Pennsylvania and currently serves as the Director of Legal Policy for Actionable Intelligence for Social Policy (AISP). She is a legal expert in cross-sector data sharing and integration and currently provides expertise in designing and implementing legal frameworks to facilitate cross-sector data sharing, and crafts guidance for the field. Prior to joining AISP, she served as Senior Associate General Counsel for Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools, providing counsel on contracts, litigation, policy, partnerships, and administrative practice. She earned her B.A. in Women & Gender Studies from Dartmouth College and her J.D. from Wake Forest University School of Law, and holds law licenses in North Carolina and South Carolina. She lives outside of Charlotte with her husband, Anthony, and her twins, Nia & Zuri.