Kenneth B. Morris, Jr. is descended from two of the most important names in American history: he is the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great grandson of Booker T. Washington. His life until the year 2007 could be described as distinguished yet decisively disengaged from his lineage until Providence called.
Today, Ken’s career and life path are driven by a mission to end human trafficking and all forms of servitude with a clear focus on the restoration of the dignity and well being of its victims. He could not have predicted that one day he would so fully embrace and be defined by the characteristics that so closely defined his famous ancestors.
Ken’s extraordinary lineage flows through the maternal side of his family by way of the union of his grandmother, Nettie Hancock Washington (granddaughter of Booker T. Washington), and his grandfather, Dr. Frederick Douglass III (great grandson of Frederick Douglass). When Ken’s mother, Nettie Washington Douglass, was born she was the first to unite the bloodlines. Ken is the first male to do so.
Prior to becoming a Social Entrepreneur, Ken and his business partner managed a successful marketing and entertainment firm. C&A Marketing became a leader in the field of corporate meetings and incentive travel developing customized marketing programs for major cruise lines and resort hotels. Some of the skills learned during his corporate career have also served Ken well in Civil Society.
Driven by what he believes deeply to be a calling, Ken is an inspirational and powerful public speaker. His dynamic public appearances have included; keynote addresses for corporate America, charitable organizations, speeches for government agencies and, of course, a multitude of interactive conversations with large groups of students in every corner of the country.
Ken is now the President of the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation (FDFF), a public charity that endeavors to create a modern Abolitionist Movement in schools all over the country through the vehicle of Service-Learning. Experts in the field of human trafficking and modern-day slavery agree that building awareness is the first step to ending slavery in our time. FDFF operates on the belief that students can best communicate the message of abolition via the Internet and their extraordinary online social networks.
Some of the work done by Ken and the foundation since 2007 include: reaching approximately 50,000 middle and high school students through the Frederick Douglass Dialogues Tour; appearing on television, radio and in newspaper articles (including CNN, Newsweek Video, PBS, the Tavis Smiley Show, the Washington Post and USA Today), creating the Abolition Day Project allowing students to bring awareness of human trafficking to millions of people all over the United States and initiating HR 929, the House Resolution to recognize Abolition Day internationally as well as the work of Frederick Douglass and FDFF toward ending slavery. In addition, Ken has given lectures about his family history at universities all over the country including Columbia University, Morehouse College, Kennesaw State, UNLV, Tuskegee University, Virginia Tech, California University of Pennsylvania and the Yale University Club of New York. Ken is featured in the 2011 National Geographic documentary Civil Warriors which commemorates the 150 year anniversary of the start of the Civil War.
Ken believes he has an obligation to use the platform his ancestors have built, through struggle and through sacrifice, to stand up and fight to end the scourge of modern-day slavery. In addition to his duties at the FDFF, he has contributed his talents to the board of directors for Kaleidoscope Arts Factory, a non-profit performing arts organization for children, the Booker T. Washington Family Committee and the Africa Global Partnership, Inc.
Ken received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Humane Letters from the University of La Verne in January, 2012. He has a beautiful wife, Diana, and two lovely daughters, Jenna and Nicole.
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Follow Ken on Twitter: @FredDouglassSon
