Our History, Black History: Janette Hoston Harris

There is an adage that states, “You never know where you are going unless you know where you have been.” In the spirit of Black history month, the Monroe Dispatch will highlight stories and the history of Blacks that are not commonly known. Janette Hoston Harris was born September 7, 1939, in Monroe, LA, to her parents, Maud and Eluin Hoston. Her father, Eluin earned a living as a businessman who ran a print shop and opened the first shoe store in Louisiana for African Americans. Harris attended Carroll High School, where she excelled in English and was a member of her women's basketball team. Harris had an active childhood in Monroe. Her dad was considered an activist and often organized things to improve the quality of life for Blacks in Monroe. After high school, she moved to Baton Rouge, LA, to study at Southern University. While studying at Southern University, she was a member of the drill team, the Methodist club and co-founded Gamma Sigma Sigma sorority, a national service sorority. While in her senior year of college, Harris participated in a sit-in with six other Southern students, attempting to desegregate a White lunch counter in Baton Rouge. She was then arrested, expelled from the university, and banned from attending college in Louisiana. Despite attempts made to silence her, she challenged segregation in a lawsuit against the state of Louisiana. Her case was combined with Garner vs. Louisiana, a larger court case that the U.S. Supreme Court heard in 1962, argued and won by Thurgood Marshall.

Shortly after moving, Harris continued her education at Central State University in Ohio. In 1962 she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology. She married Rudolph Harris, the love of her life, in 1962, and the couple had two children. After completing college, she joined the Peace Corps and went on to teach elementary education. She continued her education at Howard University, where she received both Masters and Ph.D. degrees. Harris has had an extensive career in education, politics, and history. She worked as a research associate for the Study of Afro-American Life and History, taught at several universities throughout Washington, DC, served as a campaign manager for President Carter's re-election campaign, and founded a consulting firm. In her later years, she served as director of the Office of Intergovernmental Relations in the Washington D.C. mayor's office. She was appointed city historian for Washington, D.C., the first person to hold the post. She was also an active member of several organizations.

She passed away in November 2018, leaving a rich legacy of service and dedication survived by her son Rylan, daughter Junie, and granddaughter Kennedy