Charlie Harris
Charlie Harris, Professor Emeritus at Howard University, is the product of the segregated public schools of Lee County, Alabama. Born on September 12, 1928 to John and Leila Magby Harris, he began work on his parents 175-acre farm at 6 years of age. His parents purchased their farm with savings and inherited funds. Their major income from cotton was supplemented by the sale of produce in the city of Auburn. During Charlie's senior high school years, he held temporary jobs at Alabama Polytechnic Institute (API; now Auburn University) and at the Auburn Printing Company. Although the professional staff and students at API were all white, most of its service workers came from the Black community.
As high school graduation approached, Charlie was offered a full-time job in the mail room at API, which he declined to pursue his goal of higher education. With no higher education opportunity in Auburn for African Americans, he enrolled at Morehouse College in Atlanta. After completing his undergraduate study at Morehouse, he earned a master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Charlie has held several US Government positions including Senior Specialist and Chief of the Government Division at the Congressional Research Service. The final segment of Charlie’s career was spent at Howard University, where he served as Chairman of the Department of Political Science and as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Charlie and his former wife, Edna Jefferson, are parents of two adult daughters and five grandchildren. In his retirement from full-time work, he serves as managing Member of Harris, LLC and has authored a children's book, Neeka and the Squirrel Highway.
As high school graduation approached, Charlie was offered a full-time job in the mail room at API, which he declined to pursue his goal of higher education. With no higher education opportunity in Auburn for African Americans, he enrolled at Morehouse College in Atlanta. After completing his undergraduate study at Morehouse, he earned a master’s degree at the University of Pennsylvania and a doctorate at the University of Wisconsin Madison. Charlie has held several US Government positions including Senior Specialist and Chief of the Government Division at the Congressional Research Service. The final segment of Charlie’s career was spent at Howard University, where he served as Chairman of the Department of Political Science and as Associate Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences. Charlie and his former wife, Edna Jefferson, are parents of two adult daughters and five grandchildren. In his retirement from full-time work, he serves as managing Member of Harris, LLC and has authored a children's book, Neeka and the Squirrel Highway.
Contributed by Charlie Harris