|
The National Conference of Black Political Scientists
mourns the passing of Dr.
Lorenzo Morris, a distinguished scholar, Professor
Emeritus, and former Chair of the Department of Political Science at
Howard University; former President of NCOBPS; and a deeply respected
member of the community of Black political scientists. We remember
Dr. Morris with profound sadness and with enduring gratitude for a
life devoted to scholarship, teaching, mentorship, institutional
leadership, and public service.
Dr. Morris’s distinguished academic journey began at Fisk University,
where he earned his bachelor’s degree in political science, with
influential professors like Jeanne Meadows and Dr. Myron J. Lunine
and was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. Under the tutelage of Dr.
Marguerite Barnett, he subsequently earned both the M.A. and Ph.D.
degrees in political science from the University of Chicago. As an
early Black scholar protesting war, he avoided the draft by authoring
a paper criticizing its implementation. His education at two
institutions with consequential roles in the intellectual history of
Black America and American political science prepared him for a
career defined by rigorous inquiry into political participation,
race, public policy, higher education, and democratic institutions.
Before joining Howard University, Dr. Morris taught at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served as a Research Fellow
in the Government Policy Division of the Brookings Institution. At
Howard, he was a Senior Fellow in the Institute for the Study of
Educational Policy before joining the Department of Political Science
faculty, where he rose through the academic ranks and ultimately
served as Department Chair and Professor Emeritus. His international
distinction included service as the Tocqueville-Fulbright
Distinguished Chair at the University of Paris VIII.
Dr. Morris’s career at Howard University reflected an extraordinary
commitment to faculty leadership and institution building. In
addition to chairing the Department of Political Science, he served
as Vice-Chair of the University Senate and as Chair of the Howard
University Faculty Senate. He also served as President of Howard
University’s Phi Beta Kappa chapter and other university wide
initiatives and committees. Through these varied responsibilities, he
contributed to the intellectual and institutional life of Howard
University far beyond the boundaries of a single department.
As a scholar, Dr. Morris brought sustained attention to electoral
behavior, survey analysis, Black politics, public policy, higher
education, and the relationship between race and American political
institutions. He published five scholarly books and more than 150
articles, extending his influence across political science and
related fields. Among his important works was Elusive Equality: The
Status of Black Americans in Higher Education. Leveraging
her expertise as the first Black female actuary in the U.S., his wife
helped Morris integrate crucial statistical data into his book. That
work exemplified his determination to examine both the progress
African Americans had achieved in higher education and the
inequalities that continued to restrict educational opportunity.
Dr. Morris understood scholarship as inseparable from teaching and
mentorship. At Howard, he advised students examining subjects ranging
from international politics and urban political development to
race-related student activism. Generations of students, scholars,
public servants, and civic leaders benefited from his insistence on
intellectual seriousness, critical inquiry, and an understanding of
political science as a discipline with public responsibilities.
His public engagement was equally extensive. Dr. Morris offered
commentary and analysis on presidential elections, Black voter
participation, African American presidential campaigns, youth voting,
and the political implications of the Million Man March. From standing
at the crossroads of the March on Washington to finding his office
targeted in the shadow of Watergate as a research fellow at the
Brookings Institution, Morris’s life consistently intersected with
the most pivotal and tumultuous moments in modern American Political
history. His international work included educational policy projects
and consultation on democratic development and electoral
participation in several countries across Africa and the Caribbean.
Dr. Morris served as a high-stakes advisor and lecturer for USAID in
Haiti and was a consultant on educational and democratic systems in
Indonesia, Botswana, Benin, and Senegal before stepping directly into
the volatile epicenter of power as a U.S. delegate during Haiti’s
historic 1990 election. These activities reflected his conviction
that political knowledge should illuminate the experiences of
historically marginalized communities and strengthen democratic
institutions at home and abroad.
Dr. Morris’s relationship with the National Conference of Black
Political Scientists was especially significant. As a former
President of NCOBPS, he helped sustain an organization created to
advance rigorous research, teaching, professional development, and public
engagement concerning the political aspirations of people of African
descent. After his presidency, he remained a permanent fixture,
panelist, and presenter of his work at each conference. He also
contributed to the Conference's intellectual life through service on
the Editorial Board of the National
Political Science Review. His leadership strengthened the
professional community in which generations of Black political
scientists have found scholarly exchange, mentorship, affirmation,
and institutional support.
Dr. Morris leaves an enduring legacy in the scholarship he produced,
the students he taught and mentored, the institutions he helped lead,
and the professional community he served. His legacy lives on
through his indelible work. His life demonstrated that political
science is at its best when disciplined inquiry is joined with moral
seriousness, public engagement, and a commitment to expanding
democratic possibility.
The National Conference of Black Political Scientists extends its
deepest sympathies and heartfelt condolences to his wife, Marsha, and
Dr. Morris’s family, loved ones, colleagues, former students, and
friends. We also stand in solidarity with those throughout the
Diaspora, the Howard University community, and the countless
scholars, public servants, and civic leaders whose lives were shaped
by his teaching, mentorship, and example. As we mourn this profound
loss, we celebrate a life of extraordinary purpose and achievement.
May those who knew and loved Dr. Morris find comfort in the enduring
impact of his work, his quick wit, the generations he inspired, and
the remarkable legacy he leaves to our profession, our institutions,
and our communities.
|
