ris Morales is a longtime activist, educator, media producer, and author. Over several decades, she has been involved in movements for social justice and human rights with a focus on economic and racial justice, women’s rights, and the decolonization of Puerto Rico. Currently, she serves on the advisory board of the Instituto de Formación Política of Mijente, a political home for Latinx people who seek racial, economic, gender, and climate justice.

Since the 1980s, Morales has created programs at the intersection of social justice and media as a tool for change and has founded several organizations dedicated to youth media education. As founder and editor of Red Sugarcane Press, Morales brings her love of community and history to produce books and projects about the experiences of Black, Indigenous, and people of color in the Americas. Her anthologies include Voices from Puerto Rico: Post-Hurricane María, inspired by her trip to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria to assist with the launch of a fund to bring resources and financial support to grassroots communities. This bilingual collection of writings from activists and artists brings attention to local organizing efforts. Latinas: Struggles & Protests in 21st Century USA is a collection of poetry and prose reflecting on women’s lived experiences in the United States and the ways that Latinas advance gender justice.

During the 1960s and 1970s, Morales was a leading member of the New York Young Lords, serving as deputy minister of education, cofounder of its Women’s Caucus and Women’s Union, and coleader of the Philadelphia chapter. Morales brings a feminist perspective to documenting the organization’s challenges, setbacks, and accomplishments. She is the producer, writer, and codirector of the award-winning documentary, ¡Palante, Siempre Palante!, which was broadcast on public television in 1996, and continues to be screened in classrooms and community venues across the United States and the Caribbean.

 A native New Yorker, Morales holds a JD degree from New York University School of Law and an M.F.A in Integrated Media Arts from Hunter College.