Pierpont Mobley, a White House appointee, veteran activist and champion of District small businesses, died on Jan. 22. A husband, father and entrepreneur Mobley, 88, is being remembered for his dedication to uplifting others through equal employment and justice overall.
“He started in the White House but earned much love in the community,” the Rev. Anthony Motley told The Washington Informer, reflecting on Mobley’s life and legacy.
A D.C. native born in 1937, Mobley was educated in the District where he attended Antioch School of Law, receiving a graduate degree in equal employment opportunity and a masters of legal studies in employment law.
Author of “Black Side of The White House: A Memoir for Generations to Come,” Mobley’s public service began in the Carter administration, and for more than 25 years he was an equal employment opportunity specialist for various agencies in the federal government.
Under President Jimmy Carter, he was appointed as chief of civil rights and equal employment opportunity programs in several posts. He also worked for the Department of the Interior and Department of the Army.
He later served as the White House’s equal employment opportunity manager.
In this position, Mobley was responsible for overseeing personnel relations in the White House and writing equal employment opportunity policies for several other posts in the Carter administration.
During his time in federal service, the human rights activist worked for the Department of the Interior as the chief of complaints and adjudication for the Bureau of Mines, and was a senior executive in crafting the White House affirmative action plan, ever a staunch advocate for equal opportunity.
After working under four presidential administrations, Mobley retired as a federal appointee and co-founded the JPM Group with his wife, Jeannette Mobley.
In December 2024, when discussing his book “Black Side of The White House,” Mobley said he was inspired to release his memoir during the tensions that came about during President Donald Trump’s first presidency.
“I saw people [at a funeral I was attending], who were still at [The White House] working with Mr. Trump,” Mobley told Washington Informer Publisher Denise Rolark Barnes during an episode of WIN-TV’s “Let’s Talk.” As a result of that, they were comparing how it used to be 30, 35 years ago, as opposed to how it [was during the first Trump administration].”
The Mobleys: Power Couple, With a Passion for Uplifting Local Businesses
As Mobley pushed for equity in his career, he balanced life as a family man.
For nearly 60 years, the civic-minded, politically involved Mobleys relied on God and their friendship for sustenance, the couple — whose relationship started in Southeast D.C. — told The Informer in February 2022.
“Some friends and I went to a party and Pierpont and one of his friends were standing across the room from us,” his longtime wife reflected. “He came across the room and asked me to dance and I told him ‘no.’ I eventually let him take me out. When we went out, that was it.”
At the time, the human rights activist said he appreciated his wife’s etiquette.
“I liked that she didn’t use profanity,” he told The Informer in 2022. “In D.C., people regularly cursed and it was no big deal. That’s just the way we talked. It startled and delighted me when she used the word ‘gosh.’”
The Mobleys, who raised two children, became a District power couple with their firm specializing in management and human resources for private businesses and government agencies.
The JPM Group’s clients have included Verizon, Inc., D.C. Public Schools, the Federal Drug Administration (FDA), and the White House Office.
They’ve also been inducted into the Hall of Fame in Washington, D.C.
Despite their busy schedules throughout the years, the Mobleys found the time to raise two children, all the while remaining spiritually grounded and enamored with one another.
“You have to like people,” the now-widow told The Informer in 2022, as part of a Valentine’s Day special. “I know he is my best friend.”
Remembering a Freedom Fighter for Human Rights
Mobley dedicated his career fighting for equity.
He said working for the government was very different from what many federal employees face today.
“We have a lot of disputes [now],” he said in 2024, ahead of Trump’s inauguration as the 47th U.S. president. “It seems as though back in those days, people respected you— even regardless of your age, your race, your sex, etcetera. But today, the environment inspired me to go and finish this book simply because to be very honest, the 45th president.”
The author said it was an honor to reflect on his life and career.
“I was elated to see so many people coming out to actually look and think about what I had gone through for the past 35, 40 years in the field of human rights and civil rights, in the federal government and also working for the District on several major issues right here in the D.C. government,” Mobley told The Informer in 2024, reflecting on his book launch.
Motley, an activist and faith leader, said Mobley’s legacy will continue.
“Pierpoint was a tall tower who loved the people in the District of Columbia and he was supportive of those of us in the community,” Motley told The Informer.