As of 2017, in the United States, fewer than 0.1% of geoscience doctoral students are African American or Native American. In an interview with Chalkdust magazine, Morris remarked, "if you never see any African American professors, or very rarely see them, then you don't see yourself becoming one, and you say to yourself maybe I should do something else,".
Morris has dedicated his scientific career to mentoring students and early career researchers from underserved backgrounds. In 2001 Morris founded the Howard University (HU) Graduate Program in Atmospheric Sciences (HUPAS), which was the first atmospheric science doctoral programme at a minority serving institution. Under his leadership, HUPAS became a national leader in the graduation of minority atmospheric science researchers; between 2006 and 2016 HUPAS produced half of all African-American doctoral graduates in the United States.
Alongside working to support early career researchers, Morris has created educational programmes for young people. He designed a series of weather camps for students in the United States and Puerto Rico, which included courses in weather, climate and the environment. Almost 70% of the students who participate in the weather camps are African-American or Latinx. During his time at Howard University, Morris encouraged his research group to visit schools in the District of Columbia Public School system and lead interactive education programmes as part of a travelling science show which became known as Community Science Fests. Beyond Washington, D.C., these events took place in Brazil, Barbados, Uruguay, the Philippines, Ethiopia and Sudan. He has worked with Talitha Washington on programmes that promote STEMM diversity. He is a member of the National Academy of Sciences Board on Atmospheric Science and the Climate.