The Short and Tragic Life of Robert Peace: A Brilliant Young Man Who Left Newark for the Ivy League

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death, substance abuse, and racism.



Rob—whose full name was Robert DeShaun Peace—was born in June 1980. He grew up in East Orange, a suburb of Newark, New Jersey, where his mother, Jackie, lived with her parents and eight siblings.

East Orange had changed since the Peace family moved there in 1960. Then, the neighborhood primarily comprised working-class Italian immigrants, and the Peaces were one of only two black families. However, racial tension, culminating in riots in 1967, led to white families selling their homes. Newark also experienced a rise in unemployment during the 1970s as factories closed. By the time Rob was born, 89% of East Orange’s population was Black and living below the poverty line. Violent, drug-related crime was rife, and the region became known as “Illtown.”

In 1979, Jackie met Rob’s father, Robert “Skeet” Douglas. Carl, a close family friend who sold marijuana with Skeet, introduced the couple. Jackie was unimpressed by Skeet’s “smooth talk” but was surprised by his encyclopedic knowledge of historical figures. Nevertheless, she refused to marry him or move into his house on Pierson Street, even when Rob was born. Although Skeet avoided gang-related violence, Jackie feared his marijuana dealing would bring trouble to her door.