Rev. Calvin Morris was a mentor to the Sojourners Community and ministries, particularly in the 1990s. He touched us deeply with his wonderful voice and gift for music, a gift that binds communities together across division.

Hearing him sing, “I’ve got joy on the inside, working on the outside. Oh, what a change in my life!” opened my heart in ways I never fully understood. His spirit directed all around him to God, while also showing us how to build up the Beloved Community.

I liked this short video from Rev. Sharpton because it reveals the layers of affection and relationships that make up movements and historical “moments.”

And this from the Community Renewal Society in Chicago where Rev. Morris, 82, served as the CRS executive director from 1998 until his retirement in 2012:

He was the second person of color to lead CRS after Dr. Yvonne V. Delk, and the first black male to have held this distinguished position.

“His influence reaches beyond our organization, touching the lives of many through his work as a historian and human rights activist and for his publications and editorial contributions,” Rev. Dr. Waltrina Middleton, Executive Director, CRS, said of Morris’ contributions.

During his tenure as the associate director and national coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Operation Breadbasket from 1967 to 1971 and later as the executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, Rev. Morris played a pivotal role in advancing the Civil Rights Movement.

The Chicago Reporter (TCR) along with CRS extends our heartfelt condolences to Rev. Dr. Calvin Morris’ lifelong friends and family, particularly his adored children and grandchildren.

“Rev. Dr. Calvin Morris’ passing is a poignant reminder that achieving equality remains an ongoing endeavor. We must not allow society to regress. Instead, let us remain resolute in our journey toward a more equitable and inclusive world, upholding the ideals of the Beloved Community in honor of Rev. Dr. Calvin Morris.” Middleton added.

For more on Rev. Calvin Morris’ amazing life see his History Makers page.

After years of living with Alzheimer’s, Rev. Morris get to dance with the angels, see his friend Dr. King again, and so many others along the way.

+ Calvin Morris, pray for us. +

From his obituary:

Civil rights leader, educator, and minister, the Rev. Dr. Calvin S. Morris, passed away on September 15, 2023, at Bethel Oaks Memory Care Home in Viroqua, Wisconsin.

Calvin Morris provided quiet leadership alongside a number of pillars of the Civil Rights Movement. In 1967, he was tapped by the Rev. Jesse Jackson to become the associate director and national coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Operation Breadbasket, now the Rainbow/PUSH Coalition. As executive director of Atlanta’s Martin Luther King, Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change from 1973 to 1976, Morris was again associated with SCLC as he worked directly with Coretta Scott King. Morris was the guest preacher at the 1974 service at Ebenezer Baptist Church during which an assassin killed Alberta King, the mother of Martin Luther King, Jr.

Morris was born on March 16, 1941, to Dorothy Lee Morris and Abner Williams in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He attended Meade Elementary School and Vaux Junior High School and was awarded a partial scholarship to Friends Select High School, a private Quaker school known for its high standards. One of two black students in his class, Morris graduated with honors in 1959. He then went on to Lincoln University in Oxford, Pennsylvania, graduating cum laude in 1963 with a B.A. in history. While a student at Lincoln, Morris joined the Omega Psi Phi fraternity and remained connected to his “Que” brothers throughout his life. At Boston University, he earned an M.A. in history in 1964 and an S.B.T. in theology in 1967. Morris was also ordained in the United Methodist Church.

He had a distinguished career in academia, first serving as coordinator of the African American Studies Program at Simmons College in Boston. In 1976, he began a sixteen-year professional association with Howard University’s School of Divinity during which he worked as Director of Ministries to Church and Society, Director of Field Education and associate professor of pastoral theology.

Morris earned his Ph.D. in American history from Boston University in 1982. He was executive vice president of Academic Services and academic dean at Interdenominational Theological Center in Atlanta from 1992 to 1998. After leaving university life, he became executive director of Chicago’s Community Renewal Society (CRS) in 1998. At CRS, Morris presided over two publications, a staff of forty-seven and a budget of $4.5 million. He retired in 2012.

Morris married Judith Anne Kolb in 1966 in Boston, and they had two children together, Dorothy (Dodie) Rebecca Morris and Rachel Elaine Morris, both born in Chicago. Godfather and mentor to many, Morris adored children and doted on his grandchildren, Miranda and Zach, near whom he would live in the years after his Alzheimer’s diagnosis until his death.

Known by many as “Doc,” “Rev,” or his childhood nickname “Mousy,” Morris was revered for his sonorous singing voice, generous heart, joyful spirit, bright smile and love of books and reading. An avid champion of the arts, Morris attended numerous concerts, plays and movies, collected local artwork, and enjoyed dancing, taking long walks in the sunshine, and talking with strangers on trains about history and life.

A life-long activist, Morris remained involved in the community, whether attending political and social events, or singing with friends around town, at Bethel Oaks or his dining room table, always dressed to the nines from his straw hat down to his polished leather shoes. A true people-person, he would spend countless hours on the phone with cherished family and friends, keeping up to date on growing families and the latest news.

Morris is survived by daughter Dorothy (Dodie) Morris Whitaker, son-in-law Vincent (Gino) Whitaker, ex-wife Judith Kolb Morris, grandchildren Miranda Rachel and Zachary Henry Morris Whitaker, brother Bernard Richardson and “Number-One Cousin” Barbara Hulin Woods, in addition to countless other cousins, nieces, nephews, Godchildren and friends.

He was preceded in death by his youngest daughter Rachel (1971-1994), a devastating loss to their family, as well as mother Dorothy Lee Morris, father Abner Williams, grandmother Ida Lydia Morris, brother Bobby and sister Glenderline.

There will be a celebration of life in Chicago in March 2024. Memorial donations may be made to a favorite charitable institution.