Earthly Good
/Dr. James Anthony Morris uplifts communities with financial expertise and spiritual guidance
By Ellen Orr
Photo by shane darby.
When Dr. James Morris was just a small child, both of his grandmothers insisted that he was going to grow up to be a bishop.
“My paternal grandmother said I was going to be a Methodist bishop, and my maternal grandmother said I was going to be a Baptist bishop. And I said, ‘No, I’m going into business,’” James laughed. “I carried a leather briefcase that my paternal grandma’s white boss had discarded. They teased me in my old neighborhood because I had my leather briefcase and a trenchcoat.”
Dr. Morris with his mother, Essie Morris Jackson. submitted photo.
The “old neighborhood” was the South Side of Memphis, Tennessee, where James was born, raised, and educated from grade school through a bachelor’s in political science and anthropology from the University of Memphis (then Memphis State). By early adulthood, he had traded his businessman aspirations for law-school goals, but a family tragedy upended his plans: James’ father died by suicide and left his mother and brother without the resources to keep their home.
Texarkana NAACP 35th Freedom Fund Awards Banquet with Dr. Glenell M. Lee-Pruitt, President of Jarvis Christian University. submitted photo.
In order to provide for his family, James took a sales job at IBM and began climbing the ranks in what turned out to be a lucrative 20-plus–year career with the company. He managed over 100 employees spread throughout the United States, traveled domestically and internationally with the company, concurrently earned an MBA, and made a name for himself as he learned every aspect of the business. But, eventually, the high-pressure, fast-paced job caught up to him: his blood pressure was high, colleagues were dying of heart attacks, and his doctor advised him that something had to change. James had reached the highest age his father ever saw, and he was not ready to die.
“I decided to do something I wanted to do,” he said. Proving his grandmothers right, he enrolled in seminary at SMU Perkins School of Theology. Here, he found the words for the theological perspective he’d held his whole life:
Dr. Morris with his fraternity brother, Hakeem Jeffries, who is Minority Speaker of the House, at the Jubilee Celebration on the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma, Alabama. submitted photo.
“I’m a Christian realist,” James said. “I don’t see things as they should be, or high-pie-in-the-sky. I see things as they are now, and I’m going to deal with whatever comes, whether it’s poverty, homelessness, illiteracy, racial inequality, or anything else. A phrase that I use a lot, which I got from somebody else, is, ‘Don’t be so heavenly-bound that you’re no earthly good.’”
Social justice is a foundational tenet of the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) faith tradition. Notable activists affiliated with the church include Rosa Parks, Frederick Douglass, Rev. Oliver L. Brown of Brown vs. Board of Education, and Underground Railroad leader John M. Brown. The Christian denomination emphasizes civic action, higher education, and service. James saw these values firsthand growing up, as his paternal family belonged to an AME congregation in Memphis. As an adult, he was certain that this was the denomination for him.
After completing a master’s degree at SMU, James began the process of becoming ordained in the AME church. He also worked at New York Life Insurance Company, serving primarily small church communities in DFW.
“I get offers from other churches wanting me to be their pastor and asking my bishop if they can transfer me. I choose to stay here. I’m integrated into the community.”
“I would do presentations at churches before or after their Bible studies on Wednesdays, and I would say, ‘For this much money, you don’t have to be stressed about how you’re going to put somebody in the ground,’” he recalled. “I saw it as a ministry.”
Simultaneously, James was pursuing a doctorate of ministry from the United Theology Seminary, which he completed in 2016. This momentous achievement, however, was not the most life-changing event of the year for James. Bishop Vashti Murphy McKenzie, the presiding prelate of the 10th Episcopal District (and the first woman to be elected bishop within the denomination), asked James for a favor.
The bishop asked James if he would take a temporary assignment in Texarkana—to serve as pastor of Hamilton Memorial AME Church until a permanent replacement could be found. Additionally, she hoped that James, with his extensive background in both finance and insurance, could help restore the church, which had fallen into disrepair. James, who had only lived in major metropolitan areas, agreed to bridge the gap. He moved to Texarkana for a one-year position.
A decade later, James is still the pastor at Hamilton Memorial AME Church.
Under his leadership, the church has obtained new roofing, HVAC units, LED energy-saving lights, signage, tables, chairs, landscaping, paint, and street paving around the church. Since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the church has added a livestream of their services. They have twice been awarded Church of the Year at the AME North Texas Annual Conference.
At the conference each year, James finds himself approached by members of other congregations in need of a pastor.
“In all honesty, every time we go to our annual conference, I get offers from other churches wanting me to be their pastor and asking my bishop if they can transfer me,” he said. “I choose to stay here. I’m integrated into the community.”
Dr. Morris participated in a readers theatre hosted by the Texarkana Arkansas Parks & Recreation for their Black History Month celebration. He played the role of Dr. Percy Julian, a pioneer research chemist. submitted photo.
That may be an understatement: James is the president of the NAACP Greater Texarkana Chapter, president-elect of the Wilbur Smith Rotary Club, and past-president of the Texarkana Alumni Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity, Inc. He serves in the Texas Alliance of Black School Educators. He has taught ethics at both Texarkana College and Texas A&M–Texarkana. And, four years ago, James moved his mother, Essie Morris Jackson, to Texarkana—a testament to his commitment to this community.
“I got into things,” he said, “and now—well, I wouldn’t trade my yoga class at Hardy Memorial [with Lynnel Westerman] for anything.”
James admitted that he does miss the features of big-city life—global cuisines and the arts in particular. “I love museums, concerts, the ballet, the theater,” he said. “I miss restaurants, and I miss the arts.”
James channels this passion into his work with the Texarkana Regional Arts and Humanities Council (TRAHC); he is on the board of directors and is also a member of the TRAHC African American Committee (TAAC). TAAC is responsible for an annual exhibit during Black History Month; this year, they sponsored the Good Trouble Quilts exhibition, featuring 35 quilted pieces honoring the late Congressman John Lewis. And, for nearly 20 years, TAAC has presented the annual Dr. Teretha F. Harper Readers Theater, wherein, through dramatic portrayals, audiences learn about key figures and events in Black American history. Recently, smaller readers-theater events have “spun off,” James said; in fact, in late February, he performed at the Arkansas Southwest Center, portraying Dr. Percy Lavon Julian.
Dr. Morris volunteering at Randy Sams’ Outreach Shelter. submitted photo.
As James approaches the 10th anniversary of his move to Texarkana, he is not slowing down. In fact, only a few months into his term as NAACP chapter president, he is excited to leverage his new role to effect even more community change. He is primarily concerned with education—of children and adults, both formal and informal. He works directly with schools and local literacy programs to provide not only academic enrichment but also practical knowledge—things like how to pursue higher education, open and operate a small business, interview for jobs, and become more civically involved.
Dr. James Morris brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to his work in Texarkana, and his financial expertise serves him and the community well. However, James said that his foundational ethic does not require an MBA to understand.
“I live by what I call ‘the anti-poverty program,’” he said. “‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was naked, and you gave me some clothes.’”