[00:00:10] Ellington Brown: Welcome to SpeakUP! International with Rita Burke and Elton Brown! Today we have Dr. Trudi Morrison, and she is going to read an excerpt from her book, Winning The Battle Against Myself. Good doctor, the virtual floor is yours! 

[00:00:32] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Well, thank you so much for having me. And yeah, I would like to read a section that I hope will be of interest to your audience

I attended a luncheon with Republican women officials on January 13th, 1984, in the White House State Dining Room. I located my seat and admired the hand-drawn calligraphy place cards. The menu paired Chardonnay with a salad of bay scallops and lobster, tenderloin of veal and Chablis, and soft shell pasta Florentine.

The meal concluded with fresh berries in tender pastry shells. Servers carried the wine with white hand towels draped over their forearms. I didn't want any wine. I'm not too fond of Chardonnay. But when you feel out of place, have no conversation, and no one is interested in bringing you into their discussion, drinking wine becomes your only option, whether you like it or not.

The president and Mrs. Reagan came in, and we all stood up and applauded. I sipped my way through glass number one. I signaled a waiter, "May I have another white wine?" He poured and I drank. I should have asked for champagne. I love good champagne, and sometimes champagne is the only thing to get a girl through.

As Coco Chanel noted, "I only drink champagne on two occasions, when I am in love and when I am not." Well, twenty minutes after their arrival, President Reagan tapped his glass, stood, and went to the podium as I asked for a third glass of wine. I was feeling queasy from the wine. I hate it. Well, the president welcomed the audience and said, quote, "And I hope that you're all as happy as I am that we have with us two of the most important women in my life, Nancy and Maureen.

And I must mention Trudi Morrison, who runs a program close to my heart, the Fifty States Project." End quote. The president signaled for me to stand. I was stunned, nervous, and slightly drunk Maureen, the president's daughter, must have put my name in his speech. She had suddenly and suspiciously taken great interest in me.

In fact, I have a photo with President Reagan where he recognized me and called me by name in the reception line. The photo of that reception line shows Maureen b- is behind me in the picture. The reception was immediately before the luncheon with Republican women officials. Apparently, President Reagan didn't remember who I was, even though my contact with him and my name were mentioned in his imminent luncheon speech.

Maureen and her father must have worked out an arrangement whereby he would know who I was because I was in line in front of Maureen. That was a signal, because why would Maureen stand in line to greet her father? Seeing her would make it appear that the president knew me. It took me years to figure out this scheme.

But the audience applauded, and I often wondered if the response was because I was Black. The audience went overboard to make me feel accepted. Or was it because the audience supported the project and knew that I was taking hits delivering the president's, the president's message? Or was it both? I suspected the audience thought I was the Black female sacrificial fool taking the crap from those who hated me and the president's policies.

[00:05:49] Rita Burke: Black woman sacrificial fool. What a terminology! Anyone who knows me knows that I love being read to, but your excerpt just was truly amazing. Content plus style! Thank you so very much. 

[00:06:14] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Oh, thank you!

[00:06:15] Rita Burke: The voice, the voice you have been hearing or the voice you've heard at the top of SpeakUP! International is that of Dr. Trudi Michelle Morrison, who is an American politician, professor, and activist. Now, Dr. Morrison was the highest-ranked Black woman in the White House as associate director of the Office of Public Liaison. She was the first woman and the first Black woman to serve as Senate deputy sergeant at arms in 1985.

Dr. Morrison also worked for the State Attorney's Office in Maryland and with the district attorney in Colorado. I could say so much more about this gentle woman who drank many glasses of wine at that event, but I'm gonna wait for her to tell us her story. Welcome to SpeakUP! International, Dr. Trudi Michelle Morrison!

[00:07:18] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Thank you so much, Rita, and please call me Trudi!

[00:07:24] Ellington Brown: Trudi, after Rita has read your, bio, all of your accomplishment I feel like , the podcast is already over it was so long!

All of us have someone that we look up to regardless of who and where we are. And your mom was a fighter, and she was definitely fighting against discrimination. So how did watching your mom, tackle these challenges inspired you?

[00:08:10] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Well, my mother was not only my idol and role model, but she broke so many barriers in the City and County of Denver, where she was the first Black person appointed to a position in the City and County of Denver. She ended up working for eight Denver mayors as their head secretary, and later she was the executive secretary for the first Black manager of safety, Elvin Caldwell.

And a very interesting note on Mommy's role was when people would come in to the mayor's office, regardless of their race or their gender, they would always go to one of the two white women. There were also secretaries beneath my mother whom she trained. They would go to them for advice and for entry to the mayor, and they always had to refer that individual to my mother.

So that's subtle, but it's nonetheless racism. My mother was also the one who took on the redlining and later gentrification in our neighborhood. And my dad was out with knee surgery when we broke the color line crossing Colorado Boulevard when Mommy found a house for us on Cherry Street At that time, the banks and the real estate agents all tried to disparage her by saying there was an insufficient income.

Of course, that wasn't true. My father was a principal in the Denver Public Schools, so income was never a problem. Mommy took them on. She had the city council and the mayor at a meeting to discuss this very problem. And because of her, that redlining went away, and Black families were able to come into that neighborhood and enjoy the benefits that un- that non-white, non-Black people had not been able to enjoy before.

She was a heroine in so many respects. 

[00:11:20] Rita Burke: With a mom like her, no wonder you became a politician and a professor and an activist. So my question then is how on earth did you juggle those roles? Talk to us about that. 

[00:11:38] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Well, it-- for me, it was all, all of the same because you have a moral conviction, and you know what your truth is because that's been instilled through your family and your parents all of your life.

So as a professor at American University, I taught American government and politics. And as a result of combining those two skills, I was able to take my students to meet on Capitol Hill many of the politicians of the day. So I blended that knowledge and that experience to enhance and encourage my students to consider a field of politics and education.

They come hand in hand. My dad was an educator, and my mother was the politician

[00:12:52] Ellington Brown: Talk to us about the 1970 coordination 

[00:13:00] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Oh, the homecoming at Colorado State University? 

[00:13:03] Ellington Brown: Yes. 

[00:13:06] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Well, um, in my sophomore year, I was elected to the student governing body called Associated Students of Colorado State University. In my, um, s- in my sophomore year as well, 1970, the Associated Students of Colorado State University nominated me for, for homecoming.

That was a bittersweet nomination because I had founded the Black Student Alliance at Colorado State University, and that organization that I founded refused to nominate me. The Black students said, "She has too much already That hit me right in the heart. And first of all, I had no idea why I was being nominated by any group.

But as fate would have it, I won by 400 votes against five white sorority girls. That evening, um, my sister and I were walking over to the student union. I think it was that evening or else it was the following morning, I think. And as we were headed to the student union, my sister Vicky saw a car coming at-- with increasing speed toward me.

It jumped the curb just as Vicky pushed me into the gutter to avoid me being hit. Later that same day, I had a... It was a brick. It wasn't a rock. It was a brick thrown through the window of my apartment. So my question that I raise in my book, were these the same students that had applauded me so much for becoming the first Black homecoming queen?

Or were these another set of students that were dismayed and disappointed? I'll never know the answer to that. But by winning by 400 points Something was amiss there. But I survived, and by the grace of God, I was able to go on to bigger and greater things. 

[00:16:06] Rita Burke: 400 votes, truly amazing. Wow! I would say. So this was not going to be my next question, but I think it's, it, it, it blends in beautifully with the story you just told about the car.

So I'd like to hear the story around the black gloved fist, please. 

[00:16:35] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Right. Well, you know, there's a history that is very uncomfortable for us as Black people, that gestures of victory that we offer are often misconstrued by the mindset of those who aren't pleased with our victory. That was the case when I was elected the first Black homecoming queen.

Of course, I was dressed to the nines, as they used to say. And as part of that, I had gloves on. It was in the fall. That's when the homecoming, um, events were. And I always protected my hands as a musician. So that particular day, I had on black leather gloves that beautifully accompanied my outfit. And as a sign of victory, I raised my black gloved hand in a victory sign, which was my fist in the air.

Now, had I made a V for victory, perhaps I wouldn't have had that hue and cry, but who knows? What I do know is that for at least a month and a half after my coronation, there was a writing campaign in the school newspaper, The Collegian, which called me everything but a child of God. And I wrote back letter for letter Keeping my dignity, my integrity, and my poise in my response, but calling it out just for what it was, plain and simple racism

[00:18:58] Ellington Brown: It's a shame that w- we as Black people always have to come to that step. Every time we move up a couple of steps, there's that step again, and it happens to be, uh, racism, which is quite unfortunate. What do you think would cause individuals to have a change of heart, those that are, are racist?

Do you think that there's a way of reaching them? 

[00:19:35] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Not in your lifetime not in our children's lifetime And probably not in our grandchildren's lifetime

That is such a pessimistic statement that I just made But it's an honest statement I believe that the times in which we are living now have set back so many strides that our forebearers died for. The right to vote is a fundamental American right

There are efforts now as we speak to dismantle districts and reestablish Districts that do not involve people of colour, and particularly Black people. We have one of our leading civil rights icons now in South Carolina fighting to keep his district where he's the only Black elected official I mean, it's hard to be optimistic.

It was hard before this new attempt at disenfranchisement, gentrification, downright overt hate is taking place. We've been struggling for so long, and as soon as we start making headways, they change the rules of the game So I'm sorry, I can't be optimistic. I've lived it. I understand the Republican mindset Even though I was tutored under Ronald Reagan and Bob Dole, who quite frankly would disapprove of what is going on right now with this level of total incompetence and hate

[00:22:24] Rita Burke: Talk about an activist. It's coming out in every word that you use, and I admire it. It is truly wonderful! I, I would like to continue with a statement that you used about not in our generation, nor our children's generation, our grandchildren's generation. But instead I'm gonna go to something a little gentler, a little softer.

You said that you protected your hand because you're a musician, and you also spoke about a musician in your bio. Tell us about that person please. 

[00:23:07] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: My grandfather, George Morrison Sr. Was a musical icon in that he captured the title of Denver Mr. Music or Colorado's Mr. Jazz. Um, Big Daddy, as they called him, formed a band in 1920, and he was a classical trained musician.

But because of his race, he could never play in the Denver Symphony Orchestra or any symphony orchestra in America at that time. But in 1920, he was invited to England, where he played a command performance before the King and Queen of England. When he came back to America, the Victor Recording Company wanted him to join them.

He was already associated with another recording company, and they would not let him out of his contract. So he suggested another musician, the son of his violin teacher. The violin teacher was named Wil- um, Wilberforce, and his son was Paul Whiteman. Wilberforce Whiteman and Paul Whiteman. So Big Daddy nominated the son, Paul Whiteman, to join the Victor Recording Company.

Well, as times would have it, Paul Whiteman became a famous rich musician. So much so that white people started calling my grandfather the Black Paul Whiteman. Now, is there an irony there? The name White Man? Huh, I don't know. But it is something to think about But my grandparents, Big Mommy and Big Daddy, had a lot of hate.

The Ku Klux Klan at that time were based in Denver, Colorado. The mayor, Stapleton, for whom the airport was named, was head of the KKK. They burned down my grandfather's foundation three times, and they set a burning cross on his lawn. He overcame all of that and hosted at his home famous Black musicians who were not allowed to stay in Denver hotels because of segregation.

Vicki and I were little, but we got to meet notables like Nat Cole, who later became Nat King Cole; Duke Ellington, who wrote Sophisticated Lady for my grandmother on the Steinway piano that I have in my living room right now; William Bojangles Robinson, who stayed at their home. And one night there was this loud pop, and Bojangles got out of bed and ran toward the sound.

My grandfather was slightly ahead of him and was going down the basement steps. Bojangles tap danced down every step, and when they got to the bottom, they found out from whence the noise emitted. It was the illegal hooch that they had bottled earlier in the day, and all the corks were popping out of the bottle of the illegal liquor they had made!

Some of these stories. I mean, it extends to Eubie Blake, Count Basie, you know, anyone of that era had to stay with Big Mommy and Big Daddy. 

[00:28:07] Ellington Brown: It's so funny. Some of these stories you're telling, I'm laughing so hard, and I'm thinking, "She can't make this stuff up." it's impossible!

You, if I got this right, as the Chief of the Office of Fair Employment Practices, what is the one thing most organizations still get wrong about fairness today?

[00:28:32] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: They overlook the needs of the disabled For some reason, our society views disabled people as not only other than, but as less than. We know and live all of the issues surrounding Title VII law and so many of the other laws that I taught federal judges and as well as employment dispute resolution. But I was really amazed to know that the federal judiciary, where you have the Supreme Court and the federal courts that are comprised in large part by lawyers, why they wouldn't have reasonable accommodations for people who are disabled.

Things such as ways to get into the building, enlarging restrooms, some basic things, lowering shelves, so someone who's disabled in a wheelchair can perform the essential functions of their jobs. So that's an area, regardless of race or gender, that our society woefully has ignored

[00:30:21] Rita Burke: willfully has ignored. Does that story continue? That willfulness continue? 

[00:30:30] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: I'm afraid it does. Okay. And on so many levels. You know, it's, for example, let's look at what people have called affirmative action and equal employment opportunity. And in job announcements, they used to print at the bottom of those announcements something about Oh, we're the EEO employer.

And women, in large part, have been recipients of that equal employment opportunity. But what is, what has been a failure to mention is the recipients of EEO opportunities and affirmative action have been white women, not Black women. Unless race or ethnicity is specifically noted and mentioned as a desire for those policies, Black women have not been the recipients, and that is overlooked.

You hear people tout with their, with pride the fact that these laws have helped so many women, but what is missed is what women have they helped?

[00:32:20] Ellington Brown: That is the question. I feel I've discovered that many individuals, once they reach a specific goal or plateau, they, they never, they never look back. So the, having the, uh, universal, I'm gonna call it universal ladder, so that other individuals can now rise up, that is not provided. So when we talk about

Education, higher education, which is still the most effective equalizer, uh, for the Black diaspora, or have the rules changed?

[00:33:13] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: You know, one of the things I did in my job of 17 years at the Administrative Office of the US Courts was trying to get Black people on the federal bench And herein lies the problem With that hope and with our education systems If you can't get a Black boy out of elementary school into a college university Or if you can't get a Black girl out of the four-year college into law school, or if you can't get that Black man into law school and out of law school, there is no way you are going to get those Black people on the federal bench.

The education starts at the lowest level possible, and if we cannot get our kids out of high school, it is a pipe dream to think that they could become an intern for a federal judge or for a physician or for an apprenticeship So education is the key. It still is the key. Trade schools are the key.

Community colleges are the key. Not everyone needs a four-year college education But if that is the route you choose, then get out of that college and go to a professional school We can't even hope to fill these pools and fight for our kids to get in these pools if we don't have anybody who has those basic qualifications That is an education problem 

[00:36:06] Rita Burke: I like that.

I like that education is the key, but I believe it's one of many keys. One of many keys. And so I want to throw a term at you that I know you're familiar with, and I want you to take it wherever you want to take it. It's Senate Deputy Sergeant at Arms. Senate Deputy Sergeant at Arms. I want you to take that statement wherever you want to go with it 

[00:36:37] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Yes.

The Senate Deputy Sergeant at Arms is the chief operating officer of the United States Senate. That job requires Senate confirmation. It is a job that is right below the elected senators. Um, what's interesting is that there had never been a person of color or a female officer of the United States Senator-- Senate.

They had all been white males You know, that, that office oversees on a daily basis two thousand employees. It extends to all of the state offices where senators, you know, have their, um, have their people in their home states. It extends to everything from telecommunications, housekeeping, police, the Capitol Police force.

It has numerous responsibilities, um, more than I knew when I was elected to the position To say it was an oddity is an understatement. There were white police, Capitol Police officers who'd been on the job thirty-five years, and here I come in. And at that point, I was thirty-five years old, Black and female, and to this day, I have to be saluted when I step on the grounds of the United States Capitol.

So people had to adjust, shall we say. But in that capacity, I believe one of the things I was most proud of was ushering in televised Senate proceedings. Prior to my tenure, only the House of Representatives had daily televised proceedings. The Senate had a proceeding once during Richard Nixon's, um, testimony and near impeachment.

But that was the only time the Senate showed its deliberative services. But Bob Dole, who was majority leader at that time, thought that the Senate was losing credibility with a lot of the public because they didn't know what the Senate was doing. So I was in charge of Capitol construction, which meant rewiring the United States Capitol.

And once all the technical aspects had been satisfied, I had to pick out, I guess, more of the mundane things like the color of the carpet, the color of the walls, and because the lights were going to be so bright on the Senate floor b- because television requires that, I had to hire makeup people to put powder on so many of the bald heads so they wouldn't glare on the TV screen.

So it was a very, very unique job

[00:40:47] Ellington Brown: So how did you deal with being a woman, uh, Black complexed. How did you get past that hurdle? I'm assuming that there is, there is a mindset there that where you are aware of everything, but yet and still you need to gather it and move forward

[00:41:19] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: You know, it, it really wasn't hard to deal with because that's my life. I've dealt with it wherever I've been. You know, I walk in a room and largely there've just been white men I don't know how they see me first. Do they see me first as a Black person or as a woman or as an attractive woman who has to be stupid You can't be pretty and smart!

So when you deal with those factors all of your life, you do wonder which level of misogyny and discrimination you're dealing with at that moment. But you know to expect it, so dealing with it is just being yourself. You go to the root of the problem, the issue, whatever your job is. And the good Lord has given me blockers.

I don't even see those people. They are nonexistent to me. I've been placed here to do a job, to break barriers, and with the good Lord on my side, no one's against me. I'm very confident 

[00:43:04] Rita Burke: Unbreakable. Like the moun- like the mountain does during a hurricane. He or she stands still and survives. We are speaking of, we're speaking- 

[00:43:18] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Exactly! All of you noticed the cover on my book shows an attractive woman who is breaking apart. That is what is... My book is my life, and that breaking about the face on the book is all of the efforts that have taken place to destroy me bit by bit. But still I'm 

[00:43:52] Rita Burke: full. And you're still here and thriving. 

[00:43:56] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Yes, exactly.

[00:43:58] Rita Burke: Wonderful! Wonderful! We're speaking with Trudi Morrison, who is an American politician, professor, activist, and walking historian. She didn't include that in her bio, but she knows the stuff. So I would like for you to share with our listeners which of these jobs, which of these positions have been the most rewarding or satisfying for you over the years?

[00:44:30] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Without a doubt, it was my last position, um, as the primary trainer of federal judges in employment law and employment dispute resolution. Judges have such a vital part in all of our lives, and the High Court, as we see now, is very instrumental in shaping American society That job allowed me to get into place nine laws that never applied to the third branch of government.

The basic laws that apply to the executive branch and to the private sector We didn't have family medical leave. We didn't have any protections for military veterans. We didn't have any protections that OSHA, the Occupational Health and Safety Act provided. These were basic laws. We did have Title VII, but it was not applied.

It is amazing. The Rehabilitation Act of 1973, followed by the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, these laws did not apply to the law- the people who, who are the lawyers. They exempted themselves from these laws. It is uncharitable How could lawyers exempt themselves from protecting their employees?

So my job was to train judges on how to treat their employees. That basic. Violence in the workplace. Don't pile all your files on the top of a cabinet so they can fall and hit one of your employees in the head. These are the basic things, slip and slides. We had talked about the need to enlarge restrooms, stairwells in federal courthouses.

They were...

I know, I get so passionate. But prior to my tenure, someone in a wheelchair could not have accessed the front door to get in. Prior to my tenure, a person who was disabled in a wheelchair or on crutches could not fit in a bathroom in a federal courthouse. These are the things that benefit people long after I'm gone, people I will never know I was blessed to be put in a position once again after the White House, after the Senate, to be put in this setting where I was used by the good Lord as a tool, as an instrumentality to help people who cannot help themselves and will never know me or my name

[00:48:31] Rita Burke: But you did your job, and it sounds to me as if you were passionate, caring, and compassion as you did your job. 

[00:48:42] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Yes. 

[00:48:42] Rita Burke: And so my next question to you is What is your biggest eye-opening experience?

[00:48:56] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: My biggest Well, I think I'll go back to the White House on that one

I was giving a speech and once again it was at, um, a luncheon setting and

My job was to support the 50 States Project, which was the president's alternative to the Equal Rights Amendment. And I felt that alternative was better because the states would be able to act more quickly to make equal rights available than would the Supreme Court through a constitutional amendment.

Now Not everyone agreed with that perspective, which is what America stands for, is the right to dissent. But right in the middle of my speech, a lady stood up and started throwing tomatoes from the salad at me. And my first thought was, "Boy, am I glad I'm wearing this red suit." But aside from that, I-- the police came and asked if I wanted her arrested, and I said, "No."

Um, maybe by me not taking legal action against her, it would be more instructive for her to learn you don't, you don't shoot the messenger. Now, all this time, I thought the lady was dealing with me from a policy standpoint because it was the 50 State Project versus the Equal Rights Amendment. That was the issue.

But this lady wrote me a letter of apology, and one sentence in the letter of apology caught my attention. She said, "I understand what you go through because... You know, I understand what you go through as a Black woman because I too am a woman." Now, up until that point, I was under the, I guess it's a d- delusion that the issue was about policy But her letter made the issue about race So my eyes have always been opened about race.

But that moment when she ignored the issue at hand and went immediately to race and to gender, thinking we had a, a common, some kind of common relationship because we were both female, said to me, "It's always about race." That was the eye-opener. Even having been discriminated against all of my life in some shape or form, the fact that at this high level, I'm representing the President of the United States.

Would that white woman have been comfortable throwing tomatoes had the messenger been a white woman or a white man? Who knows? Maybe, maybe not. But I do know that she overlooked the real issue, which was based in policy, not in race, because it's always about race

[00:53:43] Ellington Brown: Good doctor, I want to thank you so much for joining us on SpeakUP! International You've been tele- you've been absolutely, hilarious if I may say so myself. 

[00:53:57] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: I, I do have a sense, I do have a sense of humor- Okay ... and that has gotten me through a lot of things.

[00:54:05] Ellington Brown: You, you know, sometimes that is the best medicine. 

[00:54:10] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Absolutely!

[00:54:11] Ellington Brown: You working at the, at the White House, uh, basically helping women, Black women be recognized and not allowing us to be, I guess, hushed- Mm-hmm ... and told to sit in a corner where you- Mm-hmm ... where you belong, because that's not where we belong.

We have wings. We're able to fly. Yes. And as one of our, as one of our past, uh, guests says, we are the blueprint. And this is why you find yourself, you find yourself always attacked, because we are what they fear. And so- Yeah ... thank you for joining us on SpeakUP! International, and I'm reminding all of you that you have a story.

That is your story, and we need to collect these stories for the next generation and beyond! 

[00:55:20] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Amen, and thank you so much for honoring me and giving me the privilege of speaking with you, and I- I'm truly humbled. And My passion takes me over s- most of the time, and it's just there. That's who I am. So I, I just, I didn't offend you 

obviously.

[00:55:50] Ellington Brown: No one's, no 

one's... No, no, no. No one, no, you didn't offend anyone. Um, and we believe in free, in free thinking. And speaking of free thinking, Rita, do you have something you wanna add to this? 

[00:56:04] Rita Burke: Yes. I, I want to say a heartfelt thank you to you for being that candid and authentic. I, I admire the fact that you know so much, and it's all coming out of your head.

And I, I, I, I'm inspired. Usually this is for our audience, but I too have been educated by absolutely everything you said and how you said it. So thank you, thank you, thank you! 

[00:56:39] Dr. Trudi M. Morrison: Thank you, Rita, and God bless. God bless you both. Thank you!

[00:56:45] Ellington Brown: Thank you for tuning in to SpeakUP! International ! If you wish to contact our guest, Trudi Morrison, please be prepared to submit your name, your email address, and the reason why you wish to contact Dr. Turdi Morrison at linkedin.com. Dr. Morrison has other social media accounts you can use to connect to her that will be listed in the description section on Spotify and other social media platforms.

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