WILLIAM “DAMANI” KEENE

Researcher/Author

Bill ‘Damani’ Keene’s early years were spent in Harlem, NY living in a small apartment with his parents before moving to St. Albans in Queens. He was active in civil rights protests in New York and then attended Howard University in Washington, DC. He and his college sweetheart, Carole ‘Ife’ Keene, married in their senior year.

 

After his military service as an officer in the Air Force – during which time he “taught” a Black History course at a Federal Penitentiary – he worked briefly as a community organizer in Brooklyn, NY, before attending Cornell University for graduate studies.

 

In 1972 – enjoying fatherhood of their three wonderful children – Damani joyfully returned to Howard to work in Student Activities. At Howard for 32 years, he served in several positions including as Dean for Residence Life for 14 years.

 

Damani actively supported African Liberation movements and was honored to work with Kwame Ture (Stokely Carmichael) for the better part of a decade.

 

In retirement (2004), he conducted extensive Family Heritage research, which led him to write a historical novel inspired by the life of his enslaved great-grandmother Mariah. Damani, with his wife, as the Contributing Author, is the author of CLANDESTINE: The Times and Secret Life of Mariah Otey Reddick. They self-published their novel in late 2019.

 

Damani was elected and served a three-year term (2014-17) as an Alumni Trustee at Howard University.