Turner was raised in
Oakland, California, the youngest child of a
Pullman porter father and a homemaker and nurse mother. He attended Cole Elementary School and
McClymonds High School in Oakland and
Berkeley High School. Turner first started drawing at age 10, drawing what he heard while listening to radio shows. He later moved onto cartoons during high school, ultimately deciding at the age of 14 that he wanted to become a professional cartoonist. During this time, he also worked on the school newspaper, and was elected to the student council, though widespread racism greatly hindered any benefits he gained as a result. Turner got his first training in cartooning via a correspondence course. During
World War II, where he served as a mechanic with
Tuskegee Airmen, In 1963, Turner joined the Association of California Cartoonists and Gag Artists, where he befriended fellow cartoonists
Charles M. Schulz and
Bil Keane, the respective creators of
Peanuts and
Family Circus. Desiring to contribute to the ongoing Civil Rights Movement, he was encouraged by activists to create work based on his own experiences as a black man. This thought of a comic based on the experience of a minority would be further solidified during a discussion with Schulz. Turner lamented the lack of minorities in cartoons, and Schulz suggested he create one. Morris' first attempt,
Dinky Fellas, featured an all-black cast, but found publication in only one newspaper, the
Chicago Defender, where it debuted on July 25, 1964. Turner would later rework the strip and retire the
Dinky Fellas name in 1965. The comic was retooled into
Wee Pals, and upon its debut, it became the first American syndicated comic strip to have a cast of diverse ethnicity. In 1969, Morris and his wife, Letha, collaborated to add a new segment to accompany
Wee Pals. Titled "Soul Corner", the segment highlighted famous ethnic minorities, with Morris illustrating, and Letha researching the subjects. In 1970, Turner became a co-chairman of the
White House Conference on Children and Youth. As well, during the 1972–73 television season,
Wee Pals on the Go was aired by ABC's
owned-and-operated station in San Francisco,
KGO-TV. This Sunday morning show featured child actors who portrayed the main characters of Turner's comic strip: Nipper, Randy, Sybil, Connie and Oliver. With and through the kids, Turner explored venues, activities and objects. As the comic strip continued, Turner added characters of more ethnicities, as well as child with physical disabilities. During the
Vietnam War, Turner, Keane, and four other members of the
National Cartoonist Society traveled to South Vietnam, where they spent a month drawing more than 3,000 caricatures of service personnel. Turner launched the first in a series of Summer Art exhibitions at the
East Oakland Youth Development Center (EOYDC) on June 10, 1995. == Personal life ==