Morris Kelly's great-grandfather was a sharecropper who bought his own freedom.

In this podcast, Morris, who today owns SF Roots cannabis company, shares the story of how he came to grow up in The City. He chronicles the various schools he went to, talks about Muni rides to arcades and movie theaters all over town, and car rides with his grandparents on which they'd visit non-chain stores and restaurants.

He shares stories of leaving San Francisco—to visit family in Milwaukee, or to go to Baptist conventions in the South with his grandparents—and the lessons he learned on those trips.

Uninterested in conventional high school, Morris found Urban Pioneers—an outdoor program for students that got them out backpacking and exploring various spots around California.

Morris got out of high school and, as he puts it, went on to "goof off" at City College.

Related Podcast Ricky Rat, Part 1 and Part 2

We recorded this podcast at SF Roots HQ in April 2021.

Photography by Michelle Kilfeather