About the Author

Natoma L. Keita, birth name Constance L. Jackson, is a filmmaker, writer, and activist who uses storytelling to challenge oppression and reclaim overlooked histories. Raised in Cleveland as the youngest of eight in a working-class family led by her deaf mother, Natoma learned early how to navigate and resist an inequitable world. Inspired by meeting Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. at 13, she began organizing with the Southern Christian Leadership Conference as a teen and later rose to leadership in the California National Organization for Women, Soroptimist International of Los Angeles and Region, and the American Public Health Association.

Ms. Keita built a fiercely independent business and creative career that spotlight figures like abolitionist Lydia Maria Child and the so-called Communist singer Hope Foye. Whether behind the cameras, in the archives, or inside exclusive institutions, Natoma’s work is driven by one belief: stories told on one’s own terms can dismantle systems of oppression and inspire lasting liberation.

In the culmination of her multi-faceted career, she is the writer, director, producer, and co-executive producer of four feature-length documentary films under her company Permanent Productions. In addition, she is the author of a historically based companion book to the well-regarded documentary film titled Over the River…Life of Lydia Maria Child, Abolitionist for Freedom, narrated by the illustrious actor, Ms. Diahann Carroll.

Ms. Keita has two master’s degrees: Public Health, specializing in Social and Behavioral Sciences, and in Writing, specializing in Creative Nonfiction. Her upcoming featured book, Mommy’s Ears and My Fears: A CODA Life Memoir comes out in 2026.