Morton was born to Fleta Hazel Taylor in a rural African-American enclave called the St. John Colony in the farming community of
Dale, Texas. She attended
Texas Blind, Deaf, and Orphan School, in
Austin, as it was the only high school that served black students due to
school segregation. In 1952, at the age of 16, Morton graduated from high school and was admitted to
Huston-Tillotson University, an
HBCU also located in Austin. Morton graduated
Cum Laude with a
Bachelor of Science degree in
Commercial Education in 1956. Taylor worked as a teacher at the Crocker School for Girls, a state-sponsored school for delinquents. Taylor was not deterred by these setbacks and began to work for change. ==Career==