“It is only with the heart that one sees rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”
-Antoine de Saint Exupéry, The Little Prince
“Generous, gracious, kind”
These are the words WNBA past president Joan Gelfand uses to encompass the dynamic, vibrant personality of Effie Lee Morris, beloved founder of WBNA-SF, children’s librarian, and national literary activist.
Today, as we consider the range and diverse offerings in the field of children’s literature, we pay tribute to the ongoing legacy of Effie Lee Morris. We honor her imprint on the reading community of San Francisco and her work to bring books to any child, regardless of race, creed, or economic background.
From an early age, Ms. Morris discovered her love for books and reading from her first book, The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter, leading her towards becoming a librarian and advocate for children.
Ms. Morris’ illustrious career as a librarian began as a part-time assistant in the Cleveland Public Library. She fell in love with the work and changed her career path to graduate with a master’s in library science in 1956.
When she moved to New York City, Ms. Morris reached a turning point in her career as she became the first children’s specialist at the Library for the Blind in the New York Public Library, a role where she dedicated herself to providing blind children all over the country with braille books and serving their needs in the mainstream classroom.
Ms. Morris continued breaking boundaries by becoming the first children’s librarian and first African American president of the Public Library Association, a division of the American Library Association.
In a recent interview, WNBA-SF past president Kate Farrell, a professional colleague of Ms. Morris during the mid-70s, reminiscences on Ms. Morris’ impact:
“Librarians were well aware of the powerful influence Ms. Morris had, not only on children’s programs but on the publishing industry, introducing multiculturalism into mainstream American children’s literature by serving on committees for prominent children’s book awards, such as the Caldecott Medal, and by writing the original selection criteria for the Coretta Scott King Award for the American Library Association in 1982.”
Notably, Ms. Morris served on a number of major children’s book award committees, such as the Newbery Medal and Notable Books. She was also one of three founding members of the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award committee (now called the Children’s Literature Legacy Award).
Kate Farrell spoke further about Ms. Morris, detailing her contribution to building the WNBA-SF community:
“When Ms. Morris came to San Francisco from the New York Public Library in 1963, she continued to reach out to the significant players in children’s publishing, advocating for multicultural books and authors.
“To create a publishing network for women authors/members, Ms. Morris founded the San Francisco Chapter of WNBA in 1968, and recruited her former NYC industry partners as early members and officers. We are indebted to Ms. Morris for partnering with literary agents for the SF Chapter since their supportive friendships continue to this day.
“In 2004, when Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomada co-founded the San Francisco Writers Conference, SF chapter officers were given leadership positions for the launch. WNBA-SF was the first and only exhibitor for those first two conferences with direct access to presenters, agents, and publishers.
“Current and past chapter officers continue in SFWC leadership roles each year. This entrée for SF Chapter members in a top writers conference is another legacy of Ms. Morris.
“When I became the SFWC Coordinator of Youth Events in 2013, while also president of the SF Chapter, booking diverse authors with outreach to the public schools, I felt the guidance of Ms. Morris: To build collaboration in the literary community for the benefit of its underserved children.”
Perhaps we can find Ms. Morris’ most vital legacy through her love of uniting underrepresented children with books, regardless of where they live: “The most important thing is that children continue to read. The opportunity to make their own decisions about what they read can lead to a new awareness of the role of reading in their lives.”
After Ms. Morris returned from a trip to Africa delivering books to children, Joan Gelfand recalls an encounter they had together, “I went with her once to bring books to the teddy bear room—a place in the San Francisco courthouse on Bryant—where children whose parents were on trial could rest and play and read. While there, we met with Kamala Harris, the district attorney!”
According to The History Makers, “Morris received several awards for her work and contributions to children’s literature, including the Silver Spur Award for enhancing the quality of life and economic vitality of San Francisco; the Women’s National Book Association’s Award for Extraordinary Contribution to the World of Books; and the Grolier Foundation Award.”
In 1996, the WNBA-SF Chapter partnered with the San Francisco Public Library to establish the annual Effie Lee Morris Lecture Series to honor its founder, to preserve her memory and legacy, and showcase the values of Ms. Morris: to promote literacy and support marginalized voices in the literary world.
Effie Lee Morris’ revealed life continues to show us the importance of bringing literacy to all children. We can rest assured that Morris saw with her heart and acted upon it to change our perspectives about ways we show love to our children through the printed word. She found the invisible in her vision and made it possible for all of us to see it, too.
–Gini Grossenbacher
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