Ajia Morris is the Founder & CEO of The Greenline Initiative.

“Realizing how pervasive institutional oppression is has compelled me to be an educational leader and now, as a Surge Fellow, I will be significantly more prepared to advocate on behalf of students in my community. Every major metropolitan city I have lived in (Compton, Los Angeles, St. Louis, Kansas City) has had subpar public educational options for socioeconomically disadvantaged students. As an adult, I realize this is by design. As a child, I was fortunate to have a parent who valued education and sacrificed at every turn to ensure my success and access to the best educational options available. Not every child is as fortunate, but I believe all children should have access to high-quality education. Most of my childhood friends have many different outcomes than I do. I maintain the biggest difference was high-quality education and parental advocacy.”