[Congressional Record Volume 164, Number 179 (Tuesday, November 13, 2018)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1512]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]





       HONORING THE LIFE AND LEGACY OF DR. JANETTE HOSTON HARRIS

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. CEDRIC L. RICHMOND

                              of louisiana

                    in the house of representatives

                       Tuesday, November 13, 2018

  Mr. RICHMOND. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor the life and legacy of Dr. 
Janette Hoston Harris, an educator, historian, public servant, and 
activist, who died on November 2, 2018 at the age of 79.
  In 1960, during her senior year, Dr. Harris was one of six Southern 
University students arrested for trying to desegregate an all-white 
lunch counter in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. The students were also 
expelled from the university by order of the governor and prohibited 
from attending any college in the state. While attending Central State 
University in Ohio, Dr. Harris' case challenging segregation, Hoston v. 
State of Louisiana, went before the Louisiana Supreme Court and in time 
became part of the larger Garner v. State of Louisiana case, which was 
won by future Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall in 1962.
  In 2004, Dr. Harris, along with her fellow sit-in comrades was 
awarded an honorary degree from Southern University, 44 years after the 
state officials forced her from campus and from attending any Louisiana 
institution of higher education.
  Dr. Janette Hoston Harris was born on September 7, 1939, in Monroe, 
Louisiana; her mother, Maud Marrie Hoston, was a homemaker and her 
father, Eluin Homer Hoston, was a printer and businessman who opened 
the first shoe store in Louisiana for African Americans, ``Hoston's 
Shoes and Bootery.''
  In 1956, Dr. Harris earned her high school diploma from Carroll High 
School in Monroe, Louisiana, where she was a member of the English and 
spelling bee clubs and the basketball team. From 1956 until 1960, Dr. 
Harris attended Southern University, where she was active in the 
Methodist club, a co-founder of Gamma Sigma Sigma sorority, and captain 
of the drill team. Dr. Harris completed her education at Central State 
University in Ohio, where she earned her B.A. degree in psychology in 
1962.
  After her graduation, Dr. Harris worked in the selection division of 
the Peace Corps. From 1964 until 1970, Dr. Harris had a career in 
education, teaching second, fourth, fifth and sixth grades in 
Washington, D.C. public schools. From 1970 until 1972, Dr. Harris 
worked as a research associate for the Association for the Study of 
Afro-American Life and History. Dr. Harris earned her master's degree 
in history in 1972 and her Ph.D. degree in 1975 from Howard University.
  Dr. Harris took on numerous roles in Washington, D.C. throughout her 
professional life. In 1975, Dr. Harris began teaching history at 
Federal City College, now known as the University of the District of 
Columbia. That same year she established a consulting firm, JOR 
Associates. From 1979 until 1980, Dr. Harris served as campaign manager 
for the Carter Mondale Re-election Campaign. In 1991, Dr. Harris was 
appointed director of educational affairs for Washington, D.C., where 
she remained for a year. For the next three years, Dr. Harris served as 
director of the Mayor's Office of Intergovernmental Relations under 
Mayor Marion S. Barry, Jr; in 1998, she was appointed city historian 
for Washington, D.C., the first person to hold the post; serving as the 
president of Carter G. Woodson's Association for the Study of Negro 
Life and History in Washington; and being appointed by Mayor Muriel 
Bowser to the D.C. Commission to Commemorate and Recognize the 
Honorable Marion S. Barry, Jr. She was also awarded a Southern 
University Alumni Federation Lifetime Achievement Award from the school 
in July of 2018.
  Dr. Harris was a proud member of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, 
Inc., an artist, and the author of Black crusaders in History, Congress 
and Government: Teacher's Guide and other books.
  Our nation has lost a trailblazer, a champion for civil rights, and a 
woman of many firsts. Dr. Janette Hoston Harris, legacy will forever be 
a part of this nation's history and her dedication to justice embodies 
the spirit of the Civil Rights Movement. We cannot match the sacrifices 
made by Dr. Harris, but surely, we can try to match her sense of 
service. We cannot match Dr. Harris' courage, but we can strive to 
match her devotion.
  Dr. Harris is survived by her husband, Rudolph Harris; their son, 
Rylan; and daughter, Junie.
  Mr. Speaker, I celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Janette Hoston 
Harris.

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