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Today, NAACP President and CEO Benjamin Todd Jealous announced
the selection of Monique W. Morris as National Director of Research
of the nation's oldest and largest civil rights organization.
Morris will direct the development and implementation of the
NAACP's national research agenda in education, health, Fairness
& Opportunity, criminal justice, civic engagement, labor,
housing and international affairs.
"We look forward to Monique’s application of tools that measure
and monitor racial disparities in the NAACP's target policy areas
that will assist in guiding our advocacy activities," Jealous said.
Morris brings nearly 20 years of professional and volunteer
experience as a civil rights, criminal justice, education and
social justice advocate to the position.
For the last 15 years, Morris has led efforts to examine and
respond to racial disparities in the justice system. Her most
recent work examines the impact of a criminal record or period of
incarceration on the employment outcomes of women.
Morris has worked in partnership with government agencies,
academic institutions and communities to develop comprehensive
approaches and training to eliminate ethnic and gender disparities
in the justice system. Her work has resulted in the design and
development of improved culturally-competent and gender-responsive
services for youth.
Morris has also led research on the impact of anti-affirmative
action legislation on people of color and women in public
contracting, language access at public health care facilities and
barriers to employment for formerly incarcerated women, leading to
public and private sector policy improvements.
Her projects have been in collaboration with the University of
California, Berkeley School of Law; the California Corrections
Standards Authority; the Discrimination Research Center; the
National Council on Crime and Delinquency; and other national
research institutions.
"I look forward to bringing my passion and expertise to NAACP
efforts that focus on dismantling racial injustices and
developing informed solutions to support the healthy development
our communities," Morris said.
The Columbia University alum is the author of Too Beautiful
for Words, a coming-of-age story that explores the impact of
prostitution in urban communities, various book chapters and other
published articles on social and criminal justice issues.
A proud member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., she is also
a founding partner of Aya Solutions, LLC, a consulting firm that
combines research, training, and technical assistance support a
greater goal of social justice.
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Founded in 1909, the NAACP is the nation's oldest and largest
civil rights organization. Its members throughout the United States
and the world are the premier advocates for civil rights in their
communities, conducting voter mobilization and monitoring equal
opportunity in the public and private sectors.
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