Morris Brings MLK Jr. Dream, Dignity to San Diego County

In 1962, two young men took a road trip from Pennsylvania to North Carolina. Amid the trip, the two attempted to dine at a Holiday Inn but were denied service.

They were told they couldn’t be served because of the color of their skin. Infuriated, one of the young men told himself he couldn’t be upset about the system.

Instead, he had to work to change it.

Nearly 50 years later. Rev. Calvin Morris said the struggle continues but so does the “dream.”

Morris—who was the keynote speaker at the 26th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Human Dignity Award Breakfast hosted by the YMCA of San Diego County —told more than 1,200 people, including elected officials, if the dream doesn’t continue, our self-worth will be diminished.

“As I’m here with you today, I see the ongoing potential of an America that is coming to realize that dream,” he said. “A dream about making America a place where all beings could be embraced—a place that affirms human dignity.

Morris, who serves as the executive director of the Community Renewal Society in Chicago, briefly worked alongside Martin Luther King Jr. after meeting him in 1967 at a retreat center in South Carolina.

Serving as the associate director and national coordinator of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference after being appointed by Rev. Jesse Jackson, Morris said he felt immediately embraced by King—the Nobel Peace Prize Winner who is now celebrated every year during this time.

“My initial conversation with him was about Boston University because he knew I had gone there,” he said. “Then, he started joking about quirks. This was after he was given the Nobel Prize, yet there was a sense of humility and openness about him.”

Less than a year later, King was assassinated in Memphis. But Morris said his dream remains known. Given a number of awards during his lifetime including “The Man of Excellence” by the Chicago Defender, Morris has worked as the executive director of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center for Nonviolent Social Change, has been an educator and worked at Howard University’s School of Divinity.

His work that fulfills the challenge initially brought forth by King is why he was asked to speak at the annual event, said Committee Chairwoman Dee Sanford.

Sanford, who has led the organization of the breakfast since 1999, said had it not been for leaders such as King and Morris, the world would be a different place.

“I can’t explain what it was like to meet Dr. Morris," she said. “He is connected to the movement in a way no one else is. I have opportunities today because of him.”

The event, which is meant to highlight the work of King, also acknowledges a local leader who is working for the same mission of equality.

This year, the Human Dignity Award was given to Dorothy Smith, a former board member of the San Diego Unified School District and an advocate of children. Smith, who was chosen by past award recipients and selected over 13 other nominees, told attendees through tears she was “honored.”

“We must all use every minute to uphold the institutions of our community,” she said. “If we allow them to die, we will see the downfalls of our community. I’m honored to be able to attempt to uphold our communities.”

Robert Countryman, the recipient of last year’s award and chairman of the award committee, said Smith is an icon because she continues to elevate the importance of education even after she was taught in segregated schools and was even denied admission to the University of Tennessee because of the color of her skin.

“She is a champion of education and children,” Countryman said.

But obstacles and societal ignorance are what we must overcome, Morris said.

And Morris has done so, ever since he was taken aback by the Holiday Inn employee in 1962.

“Even at times when treatment toward us perhaps isn’t the nicest, I knew I had to continue to be the person I wanted to be,” he said. “I couldn’t let the system overtake me or weaken me or my dream.

“I hope everyone here will be encouraged to continue this dream.”

The annual breakfast kicks off a series of events in San Diego County. Get information on more events by visiting this website.