BHS Day 21: Patricia Roberts Harris

Hi! As we close out the third week and move into the final few days of this year's series, I wanted to make sure my final entrant of the week was a trailblazer, a term today's entrant definitely embodied. Last year's mid-term elections brought a 'blue wave' that saw the entrance of more minority women than have ever been part of the larger bodies of government, but I also think its important to appreciate those who came before them to make last year's wave possible. Today's entrant is responsible for a few important firsts for Black women but can also serve as an excellent example for women in general seeking to throw their hat in the political arena. With Women's Month right around the corner, I thought it was important to show more women who did their work in paving the way.

Source

Name: Patricia Roberts Harris, 1924-1985

Profession: Politician, ambassador, professor

Why is the Spotlight on her today? For her achievements in her service to the US government

Notables:
--Was the first Black woman to serve as an ambassador to Luxemborg when she was appointed by then-President Lyndon B. Johnson --Was the first Black woman to hold a Cabinet post when then-President Jimmy Carter appointed her as secretary of Housing and Urban Development, making her the first Black woman to enter the line of presidential succession --Served on company boards in order to influence them from the inside to contribute to social change
--Was the vice chairman of Howard University's student NAACP chapter
--Was selected by then-President John F. Kennedy to co-chair the National Women's Committee for Human Rights
--Graduated as the top student of her graduating class at George Washington University --Returned to her alma mater of George Washington University as a professor after her political and government career ended --Was a lecturer and professor at her alma mater Howard University
--Was a director of Delta Sigma Theta
--Was inducted into the Women's Hall of Fame --Was the first Black woman to serve as dean of Howard Law School --Was appointed secretary of the Health, Education and Welfare department, then served the same position when the department was reformed as the Department of Health and Human Services
Further reading links: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 


Quotes of the Day: 
"I feel deeply proud and grateful this President [Lyndon B. Johnson] chose me to knock down this barrier, but also a little sad about being the 'first Negro woman' because it implies we were not considered before."
“I am one of them [the poor]. You do not seem to understand who I am. I am a Black woman, daughter of a dining-car worker. I am a Black woman who could not buy a house eight years ago in parts of the District of Columbia. I didn”t start out as a member of a prestigious law firm, but as a woman who needed a scholarship to go to school. If you think that I have forgotten that, you are wrong.”
--Patricia Roberts Harris