In
1960, he was arrested and sentenced to 60 days in jail for sitting in at a segregated
drugstore in Hopewell, Virginia. In 1987, he led a march against discrimination
in Colonial Heights, Virginia. In 1996, he filed a discrimination complaint
against a Fort Lee, Virginia military unit.
Rev. Curtis Harris has been
heralded as a religious, social, civic and political leader for more than 40
years. As Hopewell, Virginia’s first African-American mayor, as past president
of the Virginia State Unit of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC)
and as pastor of Union Baptist Church in Hopewell, Rev. Harris has spent a lifetime
working for the rights of others.
"Everyone has
something that Christ can use to supply others’ needs."
Rev. Harris was born
in Surry County, Virginia and was raised in the inner city of Hopewell and educated
in its public schools. He graduated from Carter G. Woodson High School and continued
his education at Virginia Union University.
From his sit-ins to his marches
with the late Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Rev. Harris’ early leadership was
crucial to the Civil Rights Movement. He has dedicated his life to activism
and has waged tireless campaigns as a past president of the Hopewell chapter
of the NAACP and the Virginia State Unit of the SCLC. Currently, he is a member
of the SCLC National Board of Directors and the U.S. Committee on Civil Rights.
Countless organizations have honored
the man who has risked his life to champion the rights of African Americans.
Rev. Harris has earned the Support of Children Award from the City of Hopewell
School Board, the Unmatched Determination Award from the national board of the
SCLC, the Lifetime Service to Fellowmen Award from the Surry County Citizens
Forum and the Real Dream Award from the Martin Luther King, Jr. Family Life
Institute.
Because of the struggle for survival
that young people are confronted with today, Rev. Harris shares these words
to guide them: "As the little lad freely gave of his lunch, two fishes
and five barley loaves, which was magnified by Christ and became the supper
for thousands, so does every young person have something that Christ can use
to supply the needs of others."
