Shaheed Muhammad Morris grew up in public housing in Trenton, raised by his grandmother. Today, he works at the New Jersey Housing & Mortgage Finance Agency, helping shape the kind of housing policy that once shaped his own life.
His story — and how his grandmother played a key role in it — is now part of a national book.
Morris is featured in “Grandfamilies: The Stories of Children and the Loving Relatives Who Raise Them,” a new collection authored by Donna Butts, the longtime former executive director of Generations United.
The book gathers more than 30 stories from people raised by grandparents and other relatives, covering everything from housing and education to trauma, food insecurity and the resilience that holds these families together.
“As someone raised by my grandmother, I am honored to share my story in a book that recognizes the extraordinary role grandparents and relative caregivers play in shaping lives,” Morris said. “This book is a tribute to the countless families who step forward with love and sacrifice to provide stability and hope for the next generation.”
Morris credits his grandmother’s discipline and belief in education for changing the direction of his life. He went on to become a first-generation college graduate, earning his bachelor’s degree from South Dakota State University, studying real estate finance at Iowa State University, and holding an associate degree from Mercer County Community College.
The book aims to be a powerful firsthand look into the lives of grandparents and other relatives stepping in to raise children — and the people and policies that help them thrive.
The stakes are larger than any one family.
Today in the U.S., more than 2.4 million children whose parents are unable to care for them live in grandfamilies, where they are raised by grandparents or other loved ones. Until recently, their experiences have been all but invisible. These relative caregivers do time in waiting rooms and court hearings, put themselves at financial risk, and sacrifice their own health, all with the dream of making a better life for the kids they love.
Through heartfelt personal accounts, grandfamily members of all ages and backgrounds share their experiences, giving voice to the millions across this nation who have come together in the spirit of hope and resilience to imagine a better future for their loved ones.
“The book is a tribute to these important families who understand that while kids may age out of a system, they never age out of a family,” Butts said.
For Morris, the message is simple.
“Every child deserves someone who believes in them,” he said. “My grandmother believed in me before I believed in myself, and this book is a testament to her legacy and the countless grandparents who quietly change the world one child at a time.”
All book sale proceeds will go to Generations United to support their work with grandfamilies.
This story runs during the same month BINJE published another feature on the power of the older generation, an organization called 55/Redfined.
