Kenneth Morris, Jr. Speaks as Part of Black History Month Celebration

As part of Morristown Beard School’s Black History Month celebration at All-School Meeting on Friday, March 10, students heard from Kenneth B. Morris, Jr., who descends from two of the most influential names in American history: he is the great-great-great grandson of Frederick Douglass and the great-great-grandson of Booker T. Washington.

Mr. Morris continues his family’s legacy of anti-slavery and educational work as cofounder and president of the Frederick Douglass Family Initiatives, a nonprofit organization based in Rochester, New York. 

He spoke about how his career and life path have been driven by a clear focus on Frederick Douglass Family Initiative’s mission: “To build strong children and to end systems of exploitation and oppression.”

The assembly also included original spoken word/poetry read by Julia Crosby ’27 and Olivier Phanord ’26 and an African dance performance by Hayat Bembry ’24, Imani Crosby ’26, Nylah Gonzalez ’26, Oluwatomiwa Oluwasola ’23, Jenebah Tyler ’25, and Alyssa Wooden ’25.