Raised in Seattle, Harris was a star high school football player who would have preferred to play at his local college at the University of Washington, but racial tensions were too high during the 1930s.
Harris instead attended the University of Iowa. However, Iowa dealt with its own broken race relations, as Black students were prohibited from using certain campus facilities. But Harris was determined to leave the school making an impact.
In 1937, Harris became the first Black person to become captain of a team in the Big Ten Conference. It only made sense for the star college athlete to move on to the NFL, but from 1933-1946 the NFL banned Black people from being in the league. Having pivoted away from racial barriers before, Harris’ next career switch took him to a different type of stardom.
Harris went on to attend medical school at Meharry Medical College, and eventually practiced dermatology in 1955. He ultimately rose through the ranks and became a well-respected doctor who ran one of the largest practices in the area. He was later honored as a pioneer in the field.
Harris’ story reminds us that sometimes fighting back is working in spite of the barriers in place. It’s surviving in a space that wants to see your demise. Keep being you.