IN MEMORIAM: DENISE C. MORGAN (1965-2006)Denise Morgan, expert on race, public schools, and federalismand inspiration to all who knew herpassed away on April 8 after a long illness.
She was greatly influenced by her parents, who were immigrants from the West Indies. They arrived in the United States with not a lot of money, but with very good educations. This made Professor Morgan "believe in the power of a strong public education system to create social, political, and economic mobility." She also believed that our public school system falls short of this potential and said that that was what motivated her work.
Professor Morgan said about her field of expertise, that "in order to understand antidiscrimination law, you have to appreciate the role that race has played in creating and maintaining hierarchy in the United Statesit has been used to determine who is entitled to opportunity and who will be deprived of opportunity."
Denise Morgan was educator, lawyer, author and recently the principal editor of Awakening from the Dream: Civil Rights under Siege and the New Struggle for Equal Justice (2005). Denise took on the project with commitment, brilliance and dedication. She worked on every page and every aspect of the bookfrom the title to the cover to the publisher to the copy editing to the editing to the word choice to the philosophy and story line. And, unbelievably, everyone involved in the project came away enriched by her input and insight and with a deep appreciation for her grace. Denise's work on Awakening from the Dream represented a tremendous sacrifice on her part. She had so many other responsibilities and deadlines to meet. But it was also a passion, a deep desire to move us and move the country to a different and better place.
Dean of New York Law School Richard A. Matasar called Professor Morgan "an amazing womankind, energetic, smart, dedicated, committed, and courageous." She was a dear friend of this campaign, and although we feel lucky to have been a part of working with her on Awakening from the Dream, her departure leaves a huge hole that can never be filled.