About
Growth Under Oath
An oath can be defined as “a solemn promise, often invoking a divine witness, regarding one's future action or behavior.” It is a “sworn declaration” that one will tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. A person might take several oaths in their lifetime. There’s an oath you take before you get an important document notarized and an oath before you get married. Officials take an oath before they enter elected or appointed office. Witnesses take an oath in court before they provide testimony. Attorneys take an oath before they are admitted to practice law. As a lawyer who is licensed in two states, I’ve taken a few oaths in my relatively short lifetime. But, as I’ve grown and matured, I’ve come to realize that the most important oath I will ever take, the most important promise I will ever make, is a promise to myself—a pledge to tell my truth, my whole truth, and nothing but my truth, as I pursue my life’s purpose and strive to uplift my community.
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This platform is part of that truth. Honest reflections on the lessons I’m learning throughout my journey as a fiery millennial, fierce advocate and free spirit, intertwined with witty social justice, racial justice and political commentary. My posts will sometimes make you laugh out loud with sarcasm and will sometimes make you cry with raw candor. They will teach you little nuggets about the legal system, while also making you question things you thought you knew or understood about a “just” society. These musings are my take on how black and brown bodies can overcome systemic oppression to not just grow from concrete, but to bloom towards the sun. It is a manifestation of my quest for self, my yearning for mercy, and my love of “us.”
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I welcome you to bear witness to my Growth Under Oath, and in doing so, embark on your own earnest growth journey as well.
About the Author
Erin Keith, Esq.
Erin is an attorney and journalist. She credits her upbringing in Detroit, Michigan for her quick wit and knack for speaking truth to power. She is a fervent believer in Black girl magic, and that Black lives and Black lawyers matter.
Erin graduated summa cum laude from Howard University in 2013 with her B.A. in Political Science. She then attended Georgetown Law where she graduated with her J.D. in 2016 and LL.M. in 2018.
Among her other writings, Erin published "She Could Have Been Me: A Tribute to Renisha McBride," in the Harvard Journal of African American Public Policy, and "Wronged Without Recourse: Examining Shortcomings of Compensation Statutes for Black Exonerees," in the Georgetown Journal of Law and Modern Critical Race Perspectives. She has also provided commentary via major news outlets such as NBC-TV One and CNN.