Dr. Jeanne Morris and Dr. Charles Morris, two of Illinois State’s first Black faculty members and stalwarts of the community, are the focus of a documentary produced by the Bloomington-Normal NAACP Youth Council for the group’s first anniversary.
“Our Youth Council members were delighted to interview Drs. Charles and Jeanne Morris, as their history in the Bloomington-Normal community is quite meaningful,” said Youth Council President Bradley Ross Jackson.
A public showing of the documentary will be held at 3 p.m. Saturday, August 13, at the McLean County Museum of History. After the film, there will be a Q&A session. The event is free and open to the public.
“It’s going to be awesome,” said Jackson, a junior at Normal Community High School.
Charles Morris started as an associate professor of mathematics at Illinois State in 1966. He became vice president of Administrative Services before accepting the position of vice chancellor for Academic and Student Affairs with the Illinois Board of Regents. Morris was also the first chairman of the academic senate. Jeanne Morris, his wife of 65 years, was a curriculum and instruction professor. She was also assistant chair of the department at her retirement.
After both retiring in 1995, they remained connected with the University. They established the Charles Morris STEM Scholarships, which are awarded annually at the Charles Morris STEM Social for Underrepresented Students, an event started in 2014 to educate underrepresented students about opportunities within science, technology, engineering, and math fields. The STEM social features keynote presentations from alumni thriving in STEM-related fields.
Additionally, the Morrises are both longtime members of the NAACP and were supporters of the Youth Council’s formation. They said they were honored to be asked to participate in the documentary and share their experiences in the community they have called home for the past 56 years.
“We’ve been supporters of the NAACP itself since we’ve been here, and to see them branch out and support the youth is a big first for this community,” Jeanne Morris said.
The Youth Council is focused on informing the community about the issues impacting racial and ethnic minorities, with a special focus on community service. When the documentary was being conceptualized, Jackson said the council was most interested to learn about the hardships the Morrises faced related to housing in Bloomington-Normal when they first arrived in the community.
“We had difficulty finding housing to buy,” Charles Morris said. “We would make inquiries to people who had advertised property for sale, and they said ‘no’ to us.”
“They didn’t want to have a discussion about it,” added Jeanne Morris.
Additionally, Jackson asked the couple their thoughts on the racially motivated shooting that killed 10 people in a Buffalo, New York, supermarket in May 2022. Charles Morris said events like this signify why organizations like the NAACP and the Youth Council are so important.
“Currently, there are actions to eliminate and certainly reduce the influence and voting power of people of color,” he said. “That’s a reason why the Youth Council needed to be established and become a part of the fight.”
Charles Morris said that while there is still plenty of work to be done, the progress made in the community has been substantial, and Morris said Illinois State has been a driver of that change.
“Right here on campus and in the community we’ve seen a positive move towards inclusion,” he said.
