Richard H. Harris facts for kids

Richard Henry Harris, Jr. (born August 22, 1918, died July 24, 1976) was an important leader in the civil rights movement and a pharmacist. He was a close friend and helper of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Montgomery, Alabama. Harris played a key role in three major protests for civil rights: the Freedom Riders, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the Selma to Montgomery marches.

His home, known as the “Richard Harris House,” was a main meeting spot and safe place in Montgomery. It helped Freedom Riders who were hurt while traveling to Jackson, Mississippi. These riders faced violent mobs, but Harris's home offered them safety and care.

In 2018, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) added Harris’s home to its World Monuments Watch list. This list includes 20 important cultural sites that are at risk. The home was listed not just for its physical structure, but also for its huge historical importance.

Before his civil rights work, Harris was a U.S. Army Air Force Captain. He was one of the first African American combat fighter pilots in the U.S. military. He served with the famous Tuskegee Airmen, also known as the "Red Tails."

Early Life and Education

Richard Henry Harris, Jr. was born in Montgomery, Alabama, on August 22, 1918. His father, Richard Henry Harris, Sr., started Dean Drug Store in 1907. This was Montgomery's oldest African American drug store. It was a very important business in the African American community.

Harris attended school at Alabama State College. Later, his family moved to Tuskegee, Alabama. He went to Tuskegee Military Academy for Boys and graduated in 1935. In 1937, he finished at Williston Academy, a school that helps students get ready for college.

In late 1937, Harris began studying at Fisk University in Nashville, Tennessee. He earned a degree in mathematics in 1941. He planned to go to graduate school in Chicago, but his plans changed when he was drafted into the U.S. military.

While training for the military, Harris met Vera McGill. They got married on September 5, 1945. They had four children: Adrian, Valda, Richard III, and John.

Military Service: A Tuskegee Airman

In 1942, Harris joined the U.S. Army Air Corps' aviation cadet program in Tuskegee, Alabama. On June 30, 1943, he became a pilot and a 2nd Lieutenant. He was assigned to the 332nd Fighter Group’s 99th Fighter Squadron. This group was famous for its African American pilots, known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

During World War II, Harris flew 77 combat missions. These missions took place over 14 months in places like North Africa, Sicily, and France. He was a brave pilot. In 1946, Harris left the U.S. Army Air Corps as a captain.

After the Military: A Pharmacist and Leader

After leaving the military in 1946, Harris went back to Montgomery, Alabama. He worked at his mother’s Dean Drug Store. In 1953, he earned a pharmacy degree from Xavier University of Louisiana. After that, he became the owner and manager of Dean Drug Store.

Civil Rights Leadership and Friendship with Dr. King

Richard Harris was a close friend and helper of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.. He played a huge part in three major civil rights protests. These were the Freedom Riders, the Montgomery Bus Boycott, and the Selma to Montgomery marches.

At his pharmacy, Harris helped organize Montgomery protests. He used a phone headset to direct vehicles while also serving his customers. He also let civil rights leaders use Dean Drug Store as a safe place for meetings.

Harris’s home, known as the “Richard Harris House,” became a central command center. In May 1961, thirty-three Freedom Riders from Nashville, Tennessee were traveling to Jackson, Mississippi. They were protesting segregation on buses. When they arrived in Montgomery, white rioters attacked them. The National Guard brought the injured Freedom Riders to Harris’s home. There, Harris gave them food and medicine.

Important civil rights leaders like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Rev. Ralph Abernathy, James Farmer, John Lewis, and Diane Nash met at Harris’s home. They planned how to support the Freedom Riders’ protests.

Harris also worked with Dr. King during the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This boycott started after Rosa Parks was arrested for refusing to give up her seat on a segregated bus in 1955. Harris used his pharmacy’s parking lot as a place for African American citizens to get rides to work. This helped them avoid riding the segregated public buses.

In March 1965, Harris helped during the Selma to Montgomery marches. He worked with African American doctors at St. Jude’s Hospital. They treated protesters who were hurt by law enforcement during the marches for voting rights.

Legacy

• In 1992, Harris’s home was added to the Alabama Register of Historic Places. It is part of the Centennial Hill Historic District.
• In 2018, the World Monuments Fund (WMF) listed Harris’s home on its World Monuments Watch list. This list highlights 20 cultural sites that are at risk. The fund recognized the home's importance not only for its structure but also for its significant role in the Civil Rights Movement.