Women of the Dream

(WOD) was born in 2011 when two women, Denise Morrison, President and CEO, Campbell Soup Company, and Leslie Morris, Founder, WOD, were attending a high school get-together. Denise, in her discussion with Leslie about her climb up the corporate ladder, mentioned having met and worked with a number of phenomenal Black women graduates of Simmons College—a small private women’s college in Boston and Leslie’s alma mater. “Lots of successful Black women have come out of Simmons

College,” Denise said. She mentioned having met and worked with Ann Brown Fudge and Paula Sneed, who are considered among the most powerful Black women in business and corporate America. “Is it something in the water at Simmons?” Denise asked. They both laughed and knew they were on to something.

Leslie had been tracking the success of Black women graduates of Simmons for the last 20 years. And she was known to frequently call upon her Simmons sisters to speak with African-American girls in her own work and mentoring activities. At the same time, Leslie was gradually developing her vision to document the success stories of Black women to inspire, energize, and support struggling Black youth, and not just a few here and there, but nationwide. She simply needed the resources to take her vision to the next level.

Denise, with her passion for also giving back to young people with limited opportunities, encouraged Leslie to submit her vision to her in the form of a proposal. Within a few weeks, Leslie delivered the proposal and identified a group of Black women graduates of Simmons College who were willing to share their stories in a focus group format.

In June 2012, this cohort of 32 Black women graduates, representing the classes of 1965-79, met at the Campbell Soup Company headquarters in Camden, NJ for a focus group that involved guided discussions on where they began in life, their experiences at a predominantly White women’s college during the Civil Rights movement, their personal and career challenges and successes, and how their stories can be used to guide a new generation of girls of color.

Following the success of the focus group, a survey was developed to expand the findings of the June convening, and was disseminated to nearly 200 Black women graduates of the 1965-79 classes. More than 50 percent responded to questions about the people and factors that most contributed to their personal and career success. The results of the survey were presented at the Simmons College Black Symposium on April 13, 2013.

With ongoing support from the Campbell Soup Company, Women of the Dream has moved to a readiness to establish a national nonprofit organization that enables African-American girls to achieve their fullest potential and lead purposeful, healthy lives.

The Women of the Dream thanks the Campbell Soup Company under the executive leadership of Denise Morrison for its time and

financial resources to insure the ongoing development of the Women of the Dream as an avenue to educate, empower, and

inspire a new generation of African-American girls._______________________

For more information, contact Leslie Morris at leslie.morris@womenofthedream.org, call 609.668.1120,

or visit online at www.womenofthedream.org

LesLie morrisFounder and Executive Director

Leslie Morris is a native of Long Branch, NJ. She grew up in the Seaview Manor public housing complex under the watchful eyes of powerful men and women of faith, integrity, and character.

Leslie has spent most of her career in community-based health care at the local, statewide, and national levels. In 1987 she developed and implemented the first comprehensive school-based health center in the state of New Jersey. Following 12 years in Jersey City, NJ, she was called to work on a national level at the National Association of Community Health Centers in Washington, D.C.

Upon completion of the five-year project in Washington, D.C., Leslie assisted two community health centers in New Jersey in the development and implementation of programs and services targeting high-risk populations. For the past seven years, Leslie has served as Director of Community Relations at the New Jersey Primary Care Association in Hamilton, NJ.

In 2007, Leslie released her first book entitled, “How Ya Like Me Now!” which is an inspirational autobiography that provides vivid snapshots into her life’s journey as a child growing up in public housing in Long Branch, NJ. Leslie has used the book as a platform to inspire and motivate young people on their own journey to success.

Leslie is a graduate of Simmons College in Boston, MA. She received her first Master’s degree in Clinical Social Work from Boston College and a second Master’s Degree in Public Health in the area of maternal and child health at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

“I am blessed to have come

of age during a time when

there were resources made

available to poor Black kids

who had the intellectual

capacity, but lacked the

financial resources to attend

college. My life would have

been very different had I

not been helped along my

own journey to a successful

career. Working with and

mentoring young people most

of my career have taught

me that it’s not enough to

simply tell young people to

be something, to strive for

something better. We have

to also provide the resources

to aid in their success.”

-Leslie Morris, Founder

are among the Black youth who came of age during the modern civil rights era between 1954 — the year the Supreme Court outlawed segregation in public schools — and 1968, the year Martin Luther King, Jr. (MLK) was assassinated. These Black youth formed the vanguard of what Sylvester Monroe, an award-winning journalist, termed the “integration generation”, a generation shaped by the belief that the key to Black success in America was education and assimilation into the very culture that had long denied Blacks equal access and opportunity.

The Women of the Dream were among the first generation of Black children to attend predominantly White colleges and universities in large numbers. By the mid-1970s, the bulk of Black enrollment had shifted from Historically Black Colleges and Universities to predominantly White institutions. At Simmons College, the 70s saw the largest enrollment of Black women in the history of the College.

The parents and grandparents of this generation were the “dreamers.” They were among the millions of Blacks who moved out of the rural Southern United States to the urban Northeast, Midwest, and West during the Great Migration from 1910 to 1970. The dreamers embraced the dream of Martin Luther King, Jr.— that their children would be free of the racial boundaries that confined Blacks in every aspect of their lives during segregation and the Jim Crow laws. They were the embodiment of the character content, color-blind dream of MLK.

Black women of the children of the dream went on to graduate in record numbers from White colleges and universities, including women’s colleges such as Simmons, Wellesley, and Barnard. They have risen to leadership of major corporations, and in professions such as media, education, medicine, social work, and public health. They are among the first generation middle-class in substantial numbers to break the glass ceilings in corporate America, and own homes in integrated neighborhoods. Many have defied the odds and accom-plished notable career achievements and national recognition. The success of the benefactors of the Civil Rights Movement has been real and remarkable.

The Women of the Dream, Inc. will provide programs and resources that will meet the needs and challenges of African-American girls, and prepare them for personal, career, and economic success.

mission statementThe mission of the Women of the Dream, Inc. is to educate and empower African-American girls to make healthy choices in every aspect of their lives by providing personal growth and development services through one-on-one and group mentoring, workshops, and career development programs.

Vision statementTo provide the highest quality services to enable African-American girls to achieve their fullest potential and lead purposeful, healthy lives.

target PoPuLationAfrican-American girls ages 12-18.

Programs • One-on-one and group mentoring in collaboration with existing mentoring programs.

• Workshops covering topics concerning success, positive decision-making, risk avoidance, life skills, career choices, goal-setting, healthy relation- ships, Pregnancy/HIV/STD prevention, budgeting and finance, and other aspects of life that will assist in positive outcomes as the participants transition from adolescence to adulthood.

• A training program for high school girls who are interested in working in corporate America/business world.

• Conferences that will offer workshops, career counseling, mentoring, and the opportunity to network with successful women of color.

Program goaLs• Increase awareness of the importance of mentoring young girls • Promote academic excellence among girls• Assist girls in identifying and pursuing career interests• Empower girls to develop healthy lifestyles and outcomes• Assess and evaluate the effectiveness of all program components

The Women of The Dream