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Keisha Clark

Keisha Loraine Clark, later Keisha Loraine Washington, was a Black American counseling psychology researcher born in West Baltimore on September 14, 1997. She attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute and volunteered at the West Baltimore Recreation Center as a teenager. She later majored in psychology at the University of Maryland, College Park, married Marcus Levi Washington III, completed UMD’s Counseling Psychology doctoral program, and lived in the Washington metropolitan area.

Early Life and Education

Keisha grew up in West Baltimore with her mother, Mila Clark, and her younger brother, Isaiah Michael Clark.

She attended Baltimore Polytechnic Institute during the 2014–2015 school year. During a January 2015 UMD visit, graduate student Tamara Davis introduced Keisha to school-counseling study and to Dr. Patterson’s lecture series and research lab on relational aggression, social exclusion, and covert peer abuse among adolescent girls. Keisha entered UMD in fall 2015, majored in psychology, and graduated in spring 2019.

Keisha entered UMD’s Counseling Psychology PhD program in fall 2019. She worked in Dr. Patterson’s lab, completed research and clinical training, and focused her dissertation on relational aggression among Black adolescent girls. The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted her first year of doctoral study as coursework and parts of clinical training moved online. Keisha continued through the program while raising Rochelle Washington and later completed the doctorate.

Main article: Keisha Clark (Career and Legacy)

West Baltimore Recreation Center

Keisha volunteered at the West Baltimore Recreation Center for approximately two years before the Summer 2014 MJ Assault Crisis. During the crisis and its aftermath, she joined Marcus Washington III, Devon Morgan, and Kelsey Morrison in changing how the volunteer group treated the children at the center.

She contacted Devon after Shanice attacked him publicly and offered both private support and a public correction. Her friendship with Devon continued through the reformed volunteer group.

Relationship with Shanice

Main article: Shanice and Keisha Clark

Shanice subjected Keisha to sustained psychological abuse for approximately two years. During that period, Keisha became quieter, stopped expressing preferences freely, and changed how she dressed and participated at the recreation center. The relationship ended during the summer 2014 crisis.

Relationship with Marcus Washington III

Main article: Marcus Washington III and Keisha Clark

Keisha and Marcus met through their volunteer work and became friends before beginning a romantic relationship in early December 2014. At the December 2014 UMD scout game, she wore a purple coat and unknowingly sat in the seat that had belonged to Marcus’s late mother, Diana Washington.

Keisha accompanied Marcus to the January 2015 campus visit and was present when he received a full scholarship offer during the March 2015 home visit. They married in spring 2019. Their daughter, Rochelle Washington, was born in 2020.

Appearance and Communication

Keisha had warm-brown skin and wore braids with beads. At the scout game, she wore a purple coat.

Keisha communicated directly and attentively. She noticed changes in Marcus’s behavior, offered support without pressing him to disclose more than he wanted, and used humor in both conversation and text messages.

Family

Mila Clark, a therapist, raised Keisha and Isaiah in West Baltimore.

Isaiah was five years younger than Keisha. Marcus later became his basketball mentor.

Keisha joined the Washington family through her marriage to Marcus. Their daughter Rochelle was born during the first year of Keisha’s doctoral program.

Memorable Quotes

“I’m so proud of you. I’m just—I’m so fucking proud of you, Marcus.”

Keisha spoke to Marcus after the UMD scout game.

“You can be terrified and ready. Those aren’t opposites.”

Keisha reassured Marcus during their January 2015 campus visit.

“i’m so sorry. she’s lying. everyone who was there knows she’s lying.”

Keisha texted Devon after Shanice attacked him publicly.

Characters Supporting Characters Living Characters Black Characters Black American Characters Clark Family Washington Family Researchers Psychologists