Monique W. Morris has nearly 20 years of professional and volunteer experience as an advocate in the areas of education, civil rights, juvenile justice, and social justice. Ms. Morris is the author of Too Beautiful for Words and several other publications and articles on social justice issues. Ms. Morris has made presentations to the Congressional Black Caucus, American Society of Criminology, California Association of Equal Rights Professionals, National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, and other organizations of note. Her research and expertise have been captured by over 200 print, radio, and televised media, establishing her as a leading voice on social justice scholarship and advocacy.

Ms. Morris is a leader in community response strategies designed to reduce the disproportionate representation of youth of color in the juvenile justice system. As a Senior Research Associate and Consultant with the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, Ms. Morris worked with communities throughout the nation to develop comprehensive approaches to eliminating ethnic and gender disparities in the justice system. Ms. Morris continues to consult with criminal justice agencies and community stakeholders to facilitate research-based alternatives to incarceration.

In March 2007, Ms. Morris joined the Thelton E. Henderson Center for Social Justice at the University of California, Berkeley School of Law (Boalt Hall) as the Director of Research and Senior Research Fellow. Prior to joining the Henderson Center for Social Justice, Ms. Morris was Director of the Discrimination Research Center (DRC), a nonprofit think-tank that measured the prevalence of discrimination in access to employment and public services. At DRC, Ms. Morris led a research series on the impact of anti-affirmative action legislation on people of color and women in public contracting. This work, in addition to research on the barriers to employment for formerly incarcerated women, continues under Ms. Morris’ direction at the Henderson Center for Social Justice.