Othello Maria Harris-Jefferson

Othello Maria Harris-Jefferson (February 23, 1905 – September 26, 1988)[1] was an American educator and activist from Texas. From 1929 to the 1960s, she taught at Bluefield State Teachers College in West Virginia, where the Othello Harris-Jefferson Student Center is named in her honor.

Othello Maria Harris-Jefferson
A young Black woman in an oval frame
Othello Maria Harris, from the 1922 yearbook of Howard University
Born
Othello Maria Harris

February 23, 1905
Brenham, Texas
DiedSeptember 26, 1988
Occupation(s)Educator, college professor, civil rights activist

Early life and education

Harris was born in Brenham, Texas, the daughter of Gertrude Smith. Her mother was a dressmaker. She graduated from Dallas Colored High School in 1918,[2] and from Howard University in 1922.[3] She earned a master's degree from Columbia University and began doctoral work there.[4] She was a member of the Delta Sigma Theta sorority.[5]

Career

Harris taught education, psychology, drama, and speech classes and was supervisor of elementary education at Bluefield State Teachers College (now Bluefield State University) in West Virginia, from 1929 until the 1960s.[4][6][7] In 1936 she helped start a graduate chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, at an event in her home.[8] She was also a member of The Links.[9]

Harris-Jefferson founded Bluefield State's Touchstone Guild and Aesthetic Club, both for students interested in the theatre. In time, the Aesthetic Club became more political in its interests, and it merged with the local NAACP chapter to work for civil rights causes.[10] In 1954, she made a series of lectures in the Dallas, Texas, area.[11] She helped to desegregate the lunch counters in Bluefield, and in 1965, she was honored by the Bluefield NAACP for her work.[4]

Personal life and legacy

Harris married fellow educator Phillip Grant Jefferson in 1932. Her husband died in 1986, and she died in 1988. At Bluefield State, the Othello Harris-Jefferson Student Center was named in her memory in 2000.[12][13] In 2022, large framed portraits of Harris-Jefferson and her husband turned up at an auction house,[14] and were donated to Bluefield State University.[15]

References
  1. Birth and death dates as shown in the U.S. Social Security Death Index, 1935-2014, via Ancestry
  2. "Elocutionist Now Ready for Engagements". The Dallas Express. 1919-10-04. p. 5. Retrieved 2023-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  3. "Howard University Confers 245 Degrees Upon Graduates". The New York Age. 1922-06-17. p. 2. Retrieved 2023-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  4. "Bluefield Supervisor Feted by Local NAACP". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1965-11-20. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  5. Howard University, The Minerva (1922 yearbook).
  6. "Bluefield Unit at Workshop for Teachers". Hinton Daily News. 1955-11-21. p. 21. Retrieved 2023-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  7. "Mrs. Jefferson to be Woman's Day Speaker". Beckley Post-Herald The Raleigh Register. 1964-04-19. p. 16. Retrieved 2023-02-10 – via Newspapers.com.
  8. "Officers of New Graduate Chapter of Deltas". The Pittsburgh Courier. 1936-04-04. p. 9. Retrieved 2023-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. "Speaker Named for Links Meet". Springfield News-Sun. 1961-04-15. p. 6. Retrieved 2023-02-10 – via Newspapers.com.
  10. Peeks, Edward (1964-02-16). "Smoldering Spark in Bluefield". Sunday Gazette-Mail. p. 25. Retrieved 2023-02-09 – via Newspapers.com.
  11. "Bluefield State Professor of Education is Honored". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. March 14, 1954. p. 21. Retrieved February 9, 2023 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  12. Archer, William R. (2001). Mercer County. Arcadia Publishing. p. 35. ISBN 978-0-7385-1351-5.
  13. "Alumni association honors appointees". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. June 4, 2000. p. 29. Retrieved February 9, 2023 – via NewspaperArchive.com.
  14. Castillo, Robert (15 July 2022). "Portrait of former Bluefield State educator discovered at auction". WVVA. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
  15. "Harris-Jefferson portrait donation to BSU". Bluefield Daily Telegraph. 2022. Retrieved 2023-02-09.
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