Rosario Morales was born and raised in New York City. As a young woman she farmed in Puerto Rico for five years and bore and raised three delightful people. She has done ecological and other scientific work and has a Masters Degree in anthropology from the University of Chicago.

Rosario is a published poet and writer whose writing reflects her upbringing among children of Irish, European Jewish, Puerto Rican, Southern Black, and Afro-Caribbean migrants. A collection of her and her daughter's work was published in 1986 by Firebrand Books.

In addition to her service on Northnode's board, she has been on the board of the Women's Community Cancer Project since 1994.