As submitted to Recognize Good in January 2014, by Mr. Jose Orta, President of LULAC.
Jennifer Harris is a true believer in building and uniting community. Ms. Harris has worked tirelessly and diligently to make Taylor a better place for all. She has dedicated her life to building bridges between communities in Taylor. Her passion is focusing on the good that is Taylor, Texas. She sees Taylor as a truly blessed community, a place we all are proud to call home. Through the local projects and local cultural events that Ms. Harris supports, she has worked diligently, and in many cases silently, trying to keep, conserve and preserve Taylor’s rich history for all citizens of Taylor. She truly is one of Taylor’s “unsung heroes”.
Her dedication and love for Taylor spans decades. Through her stewardship as the President of the Blackshear O. L. Price Ex-Student Association, she is one of the most visible citizens within Taylor community. For many in Taylor, Mrs. Harris is the face of the Blackshear O. L. Price Ex-Student Association, which just marked thirty years of community service in Taylor. In fact, she is one of the founding members of the association, but she is much, much more.
Ever the dreamer that all things are possible, she has taken on the challenge of spearheading the plans to restore and transform the home of Taylor’s first African American doctor, the late great Dr. James Dickey, into a museum. Ms. Harris said it best when she stated, “Dr. Dickey is not just for African Americans. His history and legacy is for everybody…. He did great work for this community.” Ms. Harris’ mission is to make sure Dr. Dickey’s legacy remains relevant, preserved and known. This museum, when completed, will highlight Dr. Dickey’s accomplishments in the community, but its impact will reach all of Texas. The Dr. Dickey House will be a multipurpose resource center. Current plans are to have a gallery/conference room, dance studio, theater, classroom, office and archival space. It would also be a place where local organizations could hold their events where individuals could receive community centered services.
Under her guidance, the Blackshear O. L. Price Ex-Student Association is currently editing and completing a brochure that captures and highlights local African American history. The brochure will promote an awareness and appreciation of Taylor’s African American experience. This brochure will bring to light the rich and cultural tapestry of forgotten African-American leaders that helped put Taylor on the cultural map.
Mrs. Harris has also managed not only to share our history but to provide a space for us to break bread and share a meal through “The Blackshear O.L. Price Ex-student Association Annual Feast of Sharing” at Fannie Robinson. Now in its 13th year, the free event began in 2000, and came from something Harris participated in while working in Austin. The feast is a community involvement project that invites Taylor and surrounding areas to gather as the pilgrims did to feast and give thanks. “The whole community just pulls in, and we just feed to the whole community just like Austin does,” she said. “This is a time too that we just say thank you,” she said. “We’re just blessed by this community and the place we call home.”
One of her crowning accomplishments this year was inaugurating a parade and health fair to benefit all of Taylor while also raising community awareness of Dr. Dickey and his achievements. The 1st Annual Dr. Dickey Parade was a resounding success in bringing Taylor together by encouraging people to be mindful to take care of their health, and to celebrate the life of one of Taylor’s most important icons, the physician who ended the typhoid epidemic and was the first African American being recognized as Taylor’s Citizen of the Year. She said it best when she stated in the Taylor Daily Press “We are all about the fellowship. Traditionally, parades travel from Murphy [Park] up Main Street and stop. With this parade we are going to cross that bridge,” Ms. Harris said. “Now we are all going to cross that bridge and really unite as a whole community.”
JENNIFER HARRIS AND JAMES LEE DICKEY, JR. AT THE 2016 HEALTH FAIR
Married to Minister Roosevelt Harris she is the mother of three daughters, grandmother of two and now a great grandmother, she takes a lot of time out of her busy life to share of her time, treasure and talent. Ms. Harris is a true model citizen. Through her good deeds and great heart, she truly makes Taylor a better place to live. She sees it as an honor to be called a community activist who takes a full and honored place in the life of her home, Church and community. I believe that Ms. Jennifer Harris’ endless energy and tireless dedication to Taylor deserves recognition by Recognize Good.
