McCree L. Harris | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1934 |
| Died | 2000 Palmyra Medical Centers |
| Resting place | Riverside Cemetery (Albany, Georgia) |
| Nationality | African American |
| Education | Columbia University (Graduate School) |
| Occupation | Social Studies Teacher |
| Known for | Civil Right's Activism |
| Children | 1 |
| Parents |
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| Family |
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| Awards | Service to Mankind Award (2000-2001) |
Early Life
editThe Albany Movement
editMcCree Harris was not only a teacher of social studies at the all-black Monroe High School, but she was a political activist leader. McCree advocated for equal rights and desegregation for all African American people. When the Albany Movement started in the fall of 1961, she encouraged her students to take action by boycotting the public transportation system and by participating in sit-ins.[1] She preached to her students to stand up for themselves in their highly racist community; and when she stepped outside of the classroom, she upheld those same principles she preached to her students by leading by example.
McCree Harris wanted to save her community members from the violence and lead them down a path of prosperity. Once the fight for equality officially took flight after the first civil rights meeting on November 25th[2], hundreds of civilians were being arrested and beaten in the streets. 700 African American residents of Albany were jailed just days after the meeting.[3] During an interview, McCree Harris stated, “I thought I would get involved in politics because it would help my race, which is who and what I am interested in.” She joined several community groups in order to bring her vision to life. McCree was on the board of both the Economic Development Council and the Water, Gas, and Light Commission. She was also an active member of the National Urban League, the National Association of Colored People(NAACP), and the community relations council.[1] During her fight, she worked alongside Shirley Sherrod and Martin Luther King Jr. to lead voter registration marches.[4] She even went with Martin Luther King Jr. to Saint Augustine, Florida, in an attempt to desegregate the Munson Motor Hotel. [5]
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Mount Zion Church
editActivist meetings were held at Old Mount Zion Baptist Church; and although fearful of being caught and thrown in prison, McCree made it a point to attend every meeting.Mount Zion was a popular meeting place because it was a house of God. African Americans of Albany attended the church in search spiritual uplifting to combat the oppressive force of whites. There, individuals created some of the most popular civil right’s movements songs, one being “Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round”. [3] The meetings consisted of mass crowds willing to risk their lives in the fight against racism. Members of the community called Martin Luther King Jr. to raise spirits and to aid them in their cause. During his time in Albany, he ‘“refined his tactics of nonviolence before moving on to Birmingham and Montgomery, Alabama,” said Lee Formwalt, a history professor at Albany State College.’[3]
During the 1990s, the church was added to the National Register of Historic Places.[2] Individuals wanted the transform the Zion Baptist Church into a museum to show the hard work and dedication of those who participated in the Albany movement, McCree being one of the participants included.[2] McCree Harris was a secretary of a non-profit organization that helped make it possible. The board used the $750,000 received to convert the church into “Albany’s Museum at Old Mount Zion Church” which officially opened in November of 1998. The executive director of the Albany Civil Rights Movement Museum, Angela Whitmal stated, "From the inception of the idea of a museum, ‘McCree Harris’ worked very hard to make it a reality."[2]
Further Reading
edit• "Harris Family". SNCC Digital Gateway. SNCC Legacy Project and Duke University. Retrieved 22 November 2017.
Citations
edit- ^ a b Garner, Ken. "Albany Herald". Veterans Of the Civil Rights Movement. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ a b c d Formwalt, Lee. "Albany Movement". New Georgia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 2017-11-19.
- ^ a b c "Georgia Church to Become Rights Museum". Desertnews.com. Desert News. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ McNair Barnett, Bernice (1993). "Invisible Southern Black Women Leaders in The Civil Rights Movement: The Triple Constraints of Gender, Race, and Class" (PDF). Gender and Society. 7 (2). Sage Publications, Inc.: 162–182. doi:10.1177/089124393007002002. JSTOR 189576. S2CID 145588429. Retrieved 19 November 2017.
- ^ Chalfen, Michael (1995). "The Way Out May Lead In: The Albany Movement Beyond Martin Luther King, Jr" (PDF). The Georgia Historical Quarterly. 79 (3): 560–598. JSTOR 40583289. Retrieved 19 November 2017.