Keith Ellison, the third of five sons, was raised
Catholic in
Detroit, Michigan, by his parents, Leonard Ellison, a psychiatrist and Clida (Martinez) Ellison, a social worker. Ellison and three of his brothers became lawyers; his other brother became a doctor. One of Ellison's brothers is also the pastor of "Church of the New Covenant Baptist" in Detroit. At age 19, while attending
Wayne State University, Ellison converted from Catholicism to
Islam, later explaining: "I can't claim that I was the most observant Catholic at the time. I had begun to really look around and ask myself about the social circumstances of the country, issues of justice, issues of change. When I looked at my spiritual life, and I looked at what might inform social change, justice in society ... I found Islam." After graduating with a
Bachelor of Arts in
economics in 1986, Ellison married his high-school sweetheart After graduating from law school, Ellison worked for three years at the firm of
Lindquist & Vennum, where he was a litigator specializing in civil rights, employment, and criminal defense law. He was also regularly involved in community service. He served as the unpaid host of a public affairs talk program at
KMOJ radio, and also often volunteered as a
track coach for several organizations, working with youth between the ages of five and 18. He said, "It's a great community-building device because it's for all ages and all genders. Everyone can find a way to fit in." ==Minnesota House of Representatives==