Khaair Morrison on Malcolm X, Family, Activism in New York City, and the Moment for Democrats

Episode 17 - Khaair Morrison on Malcolm X, Family, Activism in New York City, and the Moment for DemocratsKhaair Morrison is a man of multiple worlds.In one, he’s an activist of notable talent and remarkable heritage: his grandfather, Abdullah Abdur-Razzaq, was a longtime friend and associate of Malcolm X, and served as his close aide and chief secretary in the last year of his life (in interview here); his grandmother, Ora Abdur-Razzaq, dissatisfied with the educational opportunities available to her children, began a home school in 1971 that grew into Cush Campus Schools, a private school for inner-city youth that was still going strong when Khaair was a student more than three decades later; and Khaair himself was making moves when he was just 15, heading a successful student-led push to prevent New York taking away free metro cards for high schoolers—here he is to the right of Jay Walder, then head of New York’s Metropolitan Transportation Authority.In another, he’s a corporate lawyer, an up-and-coming talent in a white shoe, white collar world. After law school at Howard University, he went to Skadden, where we met as summer associates and then became friends as first-year mergers & acquisitions lawyers. From Skadden, he jumped to Freshfields, another international powerhouse, and to Debevoise & Plimpton, again a top firm. Recently, he took the leap into private equity.And finally, to the extent this is separable from either of the prior two, he’s a gifted political connector; Khaair knows everybody, and everybody knows Khaair. I attended a few political fundraisers during my time in New York—each time, at the invitation of one Khaair Morrison.In a fun two hours that could have been four, Khaair and I touched on a portion of his family background, how he got his start in political involvement, his frustrations with and recommendations for the Democratic Party, why he tends to get along well with Republicans, and a whole lot more.For more content and to subscribe to the Never Close the Inquiry newsletter, please visit neverclosetheinquiry.substack.com and follow on instagram @neverclosetheinquiry Please like, rate, comment, and subscribe! Get full access to Never Close the Inquiry at neverclosetheinquiry.substack.com/subscribe