IOWA WOMEN’S ARCHIVES
UNIVERSITY OF IOWA LIBRARIES
IOWA CITY, IOWA
ARLENE MORRIS (1926- )
PAPERS, 1946-[1996]
(bulk 1961-1966)
1 linear inch
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ACQUISITION: |
The papers (donor no. 379) were donated by Arlene Morris in 1996. |
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ACCESS: |
The papers are open for research. |
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COPYRIGHT: |
Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa. |
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PROCESSED BY: |
Kristen Rassbach, 1997. |
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Biography
Arlene J. Roberts Morris was born on April 7, 1926 and
grew up in Moline, Illinois. While a
college student, Morris appeared on the cover of the first issue of Eyes magazine, an early publication
relating to African-American life and culture, in 1946. She also served on its staff. Morris graduated from the State University
of Iowa (now the University of Iowa) in 1946.
Arlene Roberts married attorney James B. Morris,
Jr., in 1948. James Morris was the son
of James Morris, Sr., a long-time publisher of the Iowa State Bystander, an African-American
newspaper. Arlene Morris and her
husband settled in Des Moines and had three sons, James III (Brad), William,
and Robert.
From 1960 to 1967 Morris participated on the Know
Your Neighbor Panel. The panel traveled
around Iowa, as well as to several other states and Washington D.C., speaking
about tolerance among races and religions.
It consisted of women from different racial
backgrounds--African-American, Japanese-American, and Caucasian--and women of
different religious backgrounds--Protestant, Catholic, and Jewish.
In 1967, Arlene Morris earned an M.A. in psychology
from Drake University in Des Moines.
She worked as a clinical psychologist at Broadlawns Medical Center from
1967 to 1991. She was the first
African-American woman psychologist to be licensed by the Iowa State Board of
Psychology.
During the 1980s, Morris served on the Iowa Advisory
Committee of the United States Civil Rights Commission for more than three
years.
Scope and Content Note
The Arlene Morris papers date from 1946 to [1996] and measure 1 linear inch. The collection
consists primarily of materials related to the Know Your Neighbor panel,
including a scrapbook of newspaper clippings and two magazine articles. A handwritten list of biographical
information and a copy of the first issue of Eyes magazine are also included in the collection.
Related Collections
A small volume of subsequent issues of Eyes, 1946-1947, may be found in the University Archives, University
of Iowa.
June Goldman papers
Goldman was also a member of the Know Your Neighbor
panel.
Lillian Moore Scales papers
Scales was Morris’s cousin.
Box no. Description
Box
1
Biographical information, [1996]
Eyes, April 1946
Know Your Neighbor Foundation and panel
Bylaws, undated
First meeting, 1961
“Captivating Panel Combats Prejudice,” The Iowan (Winter 1969)
“A Plea for Tolerance,” Bethlehem Review (June 1966)
Scrapbook [photocopied], 1961-1966