But it wasn’t until the California businessman was well into his 30s before “I first started to appreciate the incredible heritage on my own.”
Morris is the great-great-great-grandson of Douglass, a former slave and prominent abolitionist, author, orator and newspaper editor. He’s also the great-great-grandson of Washington, a former slave who grew up to found what is now Tuskegee University in Alabama.
Morris, 48, now travels the country sharing the legacy of his ancestors to inspire others to join him in fighting human trafficking linked to modern day slavery and sharing how “the power of one” can change the world.
He will speak tonight at the Volusia County NAACP’s 38th annual Freedom Fund and Awards Banquet at 7 p.m. at The Plaza Resort and Spa, 600 N. Atlantic Ave. A very limited number of $50 tickets are still available by calling the NAACP office at 386-255-3736.
Morris talked this week about his message as president of the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation that he co-founded with his mother in 2007.
“Frederick Douglass and Booker T. Washington were visionaries. They both really had a global view on fighting injustice,” Morris said in a telephone interview from Los Angeles.
“There is a lot of work to be done in introducing their legacy to a new generation,” said Morris, who has spoken to more than 50,000 high school and college students across the nation. “A lot of students are getting the message these two men are tangible examples of how they can overcome obstacles in their own lives.”
Morris’ message doesn’t end there. The Douglass Family Foundation is “a modern day abolitionist organization,” he said.
Citing federal government estimates, Morris said 800,000 people are enslaved around the world each year, with 17,000 of them brought into the United States against their will for some sort of servitude or forced labor. His organization is dedicated to spreading awareness about that issue and enlisting people to stop human trafficking.
While Morris hopes to find new recruits for that campaign through his speaking engagements, his bottom line is to encourage people to do something to make a difference on any issue for which they feel a passion.
“I would hope people will take away the inspiration these stories (about his ancestors) provide and they can make a difference in their own community through service, by helping the person next to them and that person helping someone,” Morris said.
