The William J. Educational Institute, Inc. is named in honor of Rev. William J. who was an African American religious leader, abolitionist and educator in Baltimore, Maryland during the antebellum era. He operated his own school for African Americans in Baltimore, Watkins Academy, from the 1820s until the 1850s. It was said that a year of study at Watkins Academy was all that was needed to prepare
a scholar for life in Baltimore’s slave society. Rev. Watkins believed that the key to African American survival and advancement was an education rooted in morality and service. In a speech before the American Moral Reform Society in 1832 Rev. Watkins summed up his educational philosophy. For him education was the “sine qua non,” that thing that African Americans must have in order to obtain freedom and to advance in American society. The Watkins Educational Institute upholds these same principles today. Education is the key to freedom and advancement not just for African Americans but for all people. The Watkins Educational Institute was established in 2008 as a non-profit organization in Baltimore, Maryland by Dr. Brian C. Morrison. He has over 25 years of experience as a public school educator serving in a variety of capacities from substitute teacher to principal. He began his career in the New York City Public Schools before moving to Baltimore where he worked in the Baltimore City and Baltimore County public school systems. He holds a doctorate degree in History from Morgan State University. His dissertation, Selected African American Educational Efforts in Baltimore, Maryland during the Nineteenth Century, focused on education as the key to freedom for Baltimore’s African American community. He has given numerous presentations to both educators and scholars on a wide range of topics from Incorporating the African American Experience into United States History to Reverend Daniel Coker: Laying the Foundation for African American Education in Antebellum Baltimore. He has worked with the Maryland State Department of Education and the Reginald F. Lewis Maryland Museum of African American History and Culture developing their nationally renowned African American History curriculum. He has conducted professional development seminars on Generating Expectations for Student Achievement, Using the Internet to Teach African American History, Incorporating Reading and Writing Strategies in the Social Studies, among many others. Throughout his career he has worked with students both in and outside of the classroom as a coach and sponsor of numerous extracurricular activities such as Students Against Racism, Black History Club, Chess Team, Track and Field, Muslim Students Association, Drama Club, National History Day, and Black Saga. Dr. Morrison’s passion, education, experience and expertise have led him to establish the Watkins Educational Institute to address the many challenges facing the quality of education children in underserved communities face.
