Ingrid Morris is a corporate strategist and profit maker. She is no stranger to profits and success. She has a passion for numbers and has chosen to help empower young Black men using her knowledge through her nonprofit, Brown Sons Empowered NFP. We spoke with her about her ultimate goal and how her relationship with her own son helped to inspire this movement.
Talk about who you are and what you do.
I am Ingrid Morris, corporate executive, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. With over 20 years of successful sales and financial management expertise, I have managed operations generating revenue in excess of $200M annually. I have had a love for numbers since the age of 5. Today, through my boutique revenue acceleration firm, I help women globally learn the language of finance and the art of building and running a profitable business. Basically, I help women make more money.
This love grew into giving; first starting a nonprofit in 2008 for women of color. As life would have it, I had a son five years ago, and it changed me. Today, all you see is violence, Black boys being portrayed as thugs and unlearned. So, I along with the help of five other concerned parents, started the Brown Sons Empowered NFP.
Talk about Brown Sons Empowered — what is your ultimate goal with the foundation?
The ultimate goals of Brown Sons Empowered are three things: 1- Education and literacy. We know that statistics show early childhood reading has a direct impact to drop out rates. The better brown boys read, the less likely they are to fall into the prey of the system or the streets. 2- Cultural awareness. Our brown boys will see positive images and depictions of men that look like them. They will be taught to love themselves, their backgrounds, and their heritage no matter what anyone tells them. They will be proud of who they are, and will walk boldly into their future fully capable, being productive and giving citizens to society. 3- Financial awareness. Because I love numbers, these boys will learn to respect money and the appropriate ways to earn it. Not just on a field or a court, but in the boardrooms and their own offices.
How has the relationship you have with your son informed this organization?
My son is extremely informed. We have debates that range from who’s the coolest Ninja Turtle to why we must be able to present an educated position on Donald Trump vs. Hillary Clinton. He’s strong, yet has a very sensitive side and I want him to grow both areas. The organization was actually named “Brown” Sons because he learned to describe people by the actual color of their skin — not tied to race. So, he says we are brown, someone maybe chocolate, and some of his friends are vanilla or beige. I wish this level of innocence could last, but as you know, we will eventually have to clear that up.
Why are the ages 5-15 so important for your focus?
Ages 5-15 felt like the appropriate [group] to target. One, because my son is five and I had to involve him, as well as the younger you catch and teach them, the longer these habits have to become a way of life. We cut it at 15 because there are other great organizations out there for older teens like the 100 Black Men and Educate Our Men founded by MC Lyte. We believe that we are the pipeline to these organizations.
Talk about how you engage these young men.
We will initially engage these boys through our national Brown Sons Book Club launching in November. While our focus will be penetrating the Chicagoland areas, it will be open to any boy to join. The cost will be free and the parents will only need to purchase the pre-selected books for their son’s age group. They will read four books a year and have the ability to upload video discussions on the books as well as submitting book reports answering questions that have been created. Our books will primarily focus on brown boys, and we hope to even have the authors do book signings for the boys.
How do you think Brown Sons Empowered will help curb violence in our communities?
Again, the earlier you catch them, we have a better chance of protecting them. So, we will be partnering with the parents, schools, and communities to produce events and fun activities for the boys to stay involved and off the streets. Brown Sons will be a safe haven for many boys. We’ve made a special appeal to every “brown” man to get involved and help protect these boys and the volunteers while they are engaging in activities and events.
What do you have coming up in the future?
Our next event in November is a principal reception. We are inviting principals out to hear about how Brown Sons can support their schools and be advocates for learning. This is in line with our book club launch. In December, we will host our first Brown Sons Meet Up where the boys will simply be boys: play games, sports, running around, and being kids while also learning. In February of next year, we will host the very first Brown Sons panel that will be hosted by men and older boys. They will speak to other young boys on key topics like education, family, and dreaming for the future.
How can people contact you and/or stay informed about what you are doing?
People can stay connected with us in several ways: they can join our email list by texting BROWNSONS to 22828; Email [email protected]; Facebook/Instagram: BrownSonsEmpowered. Our website will be active November 1.
