in San Diego afforded him to be the best barber in the city, the state, the country, then the world. Racism afforded him the opportunity to zero in on what his people needed. He did not fight with a fist, he created things; it was his way of dealing with racism through economics.”
“That he did! In my father’s words, ‘My job was to be so good, and so awesome, I would become racism proof.’”
Forty years ago, the afro comb, which is just one of Morrow’s inventions, was worn in the hair not only as an adornment, but also as a political emblem and a signature of a collective identity. It was recognized as a way of saying no to oppression. Wearing the comb led to a strong symbol of love for Blackness.
“Thank you, San Diego, for giving an Alabama boy the reality of dreams fulfilled. Willie L. Morrow, a man whose life needed neither introduction nor exit,” Cheryl affectionately expressed in her San Diego Union-Tribune op-ed. “The great San Diego craftsman left pieces of himself with his beloved community, memories in the repositories of people’s hearts.”
A tribute for Dr. William Morrow is scheduled for July 15 at 11 a.m. PT at The Bayview Church of San Diego.