Alumna Finds Passion, Meaning in Social Justice Work

By Luciana Chavez Special to Merced College Rebecca Morris grew up fascinated, watching her father Robert Morris, a human resources director, talk to people all day long.

Mr. Morris did plenty of other things, but the talking part seemed most alluring to teenage Becky. It prompted the self-described “extreme extrovert” to announce she wanted to do the same when she grew up.

Now the 33-year-old Rebecca does important, difficult work as a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW). It is her responsibility to talk to people, in various stages of need and distress, all day long.

Morris does plenty of other things as a recently promoted Clinical Program Manager for Bay Area Community Services (BACS) in Sacramento, while also representing her community as a Black woman in an industry in need of Black professionals.

“My passion for it lies in coming from a people that were enslaved and colonized, and wanting to reclaim some of that,” Morris said. “The way to reclaim that is to work towards justice. Working with people who need help with their mental health is one of the ways to do that.

“And let’s be real, there’s no getting around the traumatic history of being a Black person, of having that trauma in our DNA. For me, to work towards racial and social justice and equity is how I live my life. I want to be an upstanding person of color and let folks see what’s possible. It’s a professional and personal mission. Working towards social justice is a way to honor the ancestors who could not do what I am fortunate to do.”

Morris oversees the BACS outpatient clinic that provides wellness and basic needs services to adult patients with moderate to severe mental health issues. At least a bit of her experience with that diverse patient population is informed by her years studying and playing basketball at Merced College.

“Some of the best professors of my life I had at Merced College,” Morris said. “To play ball, not go to a four-year school and still develop skills as a human and as a basketball player was exactly what I needed.

“And the classes, I think some of my Merced College courses were more demanding than anywhere else. I had phenomenal professors. I didn’t have to change my major 14 times. I got to slow down and figure it out.”

It was also a revelation, because Merced College was where she began hanging out with more Black people outside of her family. The women’s basketball team featured many Black players as well as a Black man in charge, in longtime Blue Devil coach Allen Huddleston Sr.

“I didn’t hang out with a lot of Black folks in high school, so I had a phenomenal experience as a Black person at Merced College,” she said. “That was where I watched all the Black movies. And I also think it’s where I had my first Black instructor. She was a communications professor, and she was great, and it was so cool to see her in that role. Along with the coaching staff, I saw a lot of great Black representation in college.”

Morris earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Jessup University in 2014 and a master’s degree from Chico State in 2017. Her first job out of college was as a substance use counselor for nearly two years before starting at BACS.

Morris loves her work, but she saves some of herself for other things. Away from the office, you will find her helping out at nonprofit community food organizations or chin wagging with her book club. She could be driving out to wine country for the day, attending concerts or participating in protest marches.

She takes her rest just as seriously as her work.

“In my life, the work is so heavy,” she said. “When you engage in social justice work, you also have to work to have a balance. I sometimes tell myself, ‘Hey, remember this is also something your ancestors could not do. They weren’t social workers, and they weren’t allowed to rest.’”

It is the ethos of an organization she supports called The Nap Ministry, which believes that “rest is a form of resistance, because it disrupts and pushes back against capitalism and white supremacy.”

“I have so many privileges, but then there are so many marginalized and intersectional identities that I represent,” Morris said. “I know no one is coming to save me.

“There’s a saying, ‘What you’re not changing, you’re choosing.’ I apply that to my whole life. We have to do this important work, but we don’t always have to be grinding. That has truly saved me.”