The University of Iowa Libraries

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.

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.

Access: The papers are open for research.

Use: Copyright has been transferred to the University of Iowa.

Acquisition: The papers (donor no. 379) were donated by Arlene Morris in 1996.

Preferred Citation: Arlene Morris papers, Iowa Women Archives, The University of Iowa Libraries, Iowa City.

Repository:	Iowa Women's Archives
Address:	100 Main Library University of Iowa Libraries Iowa City, IA 52242
Phone:	319-335-5068
Curator:	Kären Mason
Email:	lib-women@uiowa.edu
Website:	http://www.lib.uiowa.edu/iwa

This collection is indexed under the following subject terms.

Personal Names:
Morris, Arlene, 1926-

Corporate Names:
Know Your Neighbor (Panel : Des Moines, Iowa)

Dates:
20th century

Topics:
African American women
Religious tolerance
Race discrimination
Race relations
Minority women
African Americans
Women in public life

Occupations:
Clinical psychologists

Geographic Names:
Des Moines (Iowa)

Genre/Form of Materials:
Archives
Personal papers
Scrapbooks

Browse:
African American Women in Iowa