David La Motte

David La Motte

David LaMotte, born on April 25, 1968 in Norfolk, Virginia, is a singer-songwriter based in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. His work includes original folk music, children's music, lectures and peacemaking. He also directs a non-profit corporation he created to aid Guatemalan schools, PEG (Proyecto para las Escuelas Guatemaltecas), as well as serving as a consultant on peace issues for the North Carolina Council of Churches and serving on the AFSC Nobel Peace Prize Nomination Committee.

LaMotte is a Rotary World Peace Fellow, and holds a Masters Degree in International Relations, Peace and Conflict Resolution from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. As part of that degree, he spent three months in rural Andhra Pradesh, India working with a Gandhian non-governmental organization, Arthik Samata Mandal. In 2007 he was nominated as a "Hero of Humanity" in Heifer International's magazine World Ark. He was also named a Madison World Changer by his alma mater, James Madison University.

In May 2011, he was among seven activists arrested at the North Carolina General Assembly, protesting actions by the NC legislature that they believed to be immoral, including a proposed repeal of the Racial Justice Act, proposed restrictive voting laws and deep cuts to public education.

LaMotte is the author of two children's books, S.S. Bathtub and White Flour. S.S. Bathtub is a humorous, rhyming book illustrated by Carrie Patterson, and intended for small children. It is based upon his award-winning song by the same title, and the lyric to the song provides the text for the book. White Flour is also in rhyme, but is not associated with a song. It is inspired by the true story of a whimsical and effective response to a Klux Klan rally in Knoxville, TN in 2007 by a group calling itself the Coup Clutz Clowns. The book was released independently and funded by a kickstarter crowd-sourcing campaign that raised $37,805 in one month, far exceeding it's $18,500 goal. It is illustrated by Raleigh, North Carolina-based Jenn Hales. Clown activist Patch Adams has called the book "brilliant," and Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary said "It is a poignant and beautiful book with a story that will inspire young and old." It has also been praised by renowned peace and power theorist Gene Sharp.

LaMotte serves as the clerk of the American Friends Service Committee's Nobel Peace Prize Nomination Committee. Quakers were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1947, and therefore each year they are eligible to nominate a candidate for the prize to the selection committee in Oslo. LaMotte heads up the committee that makes that selection each year on behalf of Quakers, as Nobel laureates.

He currently lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina with his wife Deanna and son Mason.