Dametria "Demi" Morton

Dametria Morton, sometimes known as Demi, is an Operations Associate and member of the BIPOC Advisory Council at L4L. Originally from Washington DC, Demi grew up in Volusia County, Florida. In 2011, while dealing with the passing of their mother, Demi moved back to DC to finish her Associate’s Degree in General Education from Daytona State College online. At the University of the District of Columbia, they obtained a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology in addition to being inducted into the International Honors Society of Psychology. Navigating trauma and grief from the loss of their mother and brother, the doors to their career didn’t open up immediately; they took different routes to focus on their profession through connecting further with their life experiences.

Demi is a hardworking, eclectic, as well as a people person by nature. Their work history mostly resides in Customer Service, Sales, Bookstores, Restaurants, Catering, Administrative/ Operational Support Work, and most recently, Trade Jobs via Warehouse. However, they are most notably known for their work as a three year Summer Camp Youth Counselor to ages 5-18 and a Literacy Interventionist where they used to research and relatable practices to help bridge the literacy gap in communities of color affected by systemic issues among children 3-5 years of age. Although they are hardworking, they never hesitated to offer their time to others in need compassionately.

Community service became a huge foundation for Demi’s life. Growing up, Demi often watched their mother, a woman rooted in faith, provide what she could to family, community members, and colleagues— hoping to be of inspiration or make someone's day. The apple didn’t fall too far from the tree. Even as a youth navigating the streets of DC, Demi couldn’t help but be aware of the fact that Black/Hetero/Queer/Trans/Indigenous people of color are continuously being affected by systems that they relied on and otherwise put in place to serve them in some form or fashion, yet failed to come through. This later inspired Demi to work with DC General Homeless Shelter, CentroNia in DC, Sankofa Books DC, Thrive DC, Black Lives Matter DC, DC Action Lab, and Co-Operatives such as The Peace House Collective and They/Them Collective.

Demi uses their platform of mutual aid/organizing, child care, advocacy for healing, and camp experiences to interact with local people, especially youth, by creating spaces to be heard, seen, and provided for. Demi’s ethics are rooted, having no quarrels about showing up where they can make change and networking with others who have good intentions on doing the same. From their experiences, when all else fails, we are all we have to get by.

Demi currently resides in Baltimore, Maryland, working on building their own career goals, be it obtaining a Masters in either Social Work, Counseling, School Psychology, Play Therapy, or their own entrepreneurial ideas via non-profit work through healing or business. Demi also networks with friends and nonprofits to connect within Baltimore City to consistently provide and exchange resources with those without and others in need within the depths of their community.

If there were a picture beside “It takes a village to raise a child,” it would be Demi’s. They have been working to continuously build themselves and their career to give back the same love and show people of color, especially children, that in their own authentic form, they matter.