Receiving the James B. Morris scholarship serves as a reminder to me of how far people of color have come in this country and how many more challenges we face in this country.  Because of Morris’s work in law and publishing and the work of others like him, people of color like me are blessed to have opportunities, like the Morris Scholarship, to help them get ahead in life.  Unfortunately, inequities still persist based on a person’s race in this country. Receiving this scholarship not only pushes me to reflect on the civil rights work that have been done so far, but also reminds me of the responsibility I have to ensure opportunities, like this one, for communities of color in the future.

~ Elijah Willig