Sweet Alice Harris facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sweet Alice Harris
|
|
|---|---|
Harris receiving an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from Next Dimension University, on August 17, 2019
|
|
| Born |
Alice Harris
January 14, 1934 Gadsden, Alabama, U.S.
|
| Alma mater | California State University, Dominguez Hills (B.A.) |
| Occupation | Community organizer; executive director, Parents of Watts |
Alice Harris (born January 14, 1934), who is famously known as "Sweet Alice", is a community leader from the Watts neighborhood of Los Angeles. She is the founder of a group called Parents of Watts, which helps young people and families in her community. A community organizer is someone who brings people together to solve problems and make their neighborhood a better place.
Contents
A Life of Helping Others
Alice Harris was born in Gadsden, Alabama, in 1934. As a young woman, she faced difficult times, including poverty. She never forgot what it was like to need help.
She once said that a kind family in Alabama helped her when she had nothing. They gave her a job and treated her with respect. Because of their kindness, she made a promise. She decided that if she ever met people in a similar situation, she would help them just as she had been helped.
Before moving to Los Angeles in the 1950s, she studied to be a hairdresser and even ran her own beauty salon in Detroit, Michigan. Even while working, she took college classes in subjects like sociology (the study of society) and child development. She later earned a degree from California State University, Dominguez Hills.
The Start of Parents of Watts
In 1965, a major series of civil disturbances known as the Watts Rebellion happened in her neighborhood. The event caused a lot of tension and damage in the community. Sweet Alice wanted to help her neighbors heal and rebuild.
She started by working with volunteers right out of her own home. They formed a group to bring people from different backgrounds together. This group eventually became Parents of Watts (POW) in 1979. It officially became a non-profit organization in 1983.
Sweet Alice said, "I gave up my house so we would have a community center to help the children and keep them from getting killed."
What Does Parents of Watts Do?
Today, Parents of Watts is a large organization that runs more than 15 different programs. These programs are housed in eight buildings that Sweet Alice purchased over the years.
POW offers many services to anyone who needs them, including:
- Emergency food and shelter for people without homes
- Tutoring to help students with school
- Health and parenting classes
- Help with reading and writing
- College and career planning
- Help finding housing
Sweet Alice saw that their work was making a real difference. She noticed that school attendance went up, which showed that the support from Parents of Watts was helping kids succeed.
Awards and Recognition
For her amazing work, Sweet Alice Harris has received many awards.
- In 1993, Essence magazine honored her for her community service.
- In 2002, she was named "Woman of the Year" by California's lieutenant governor Cruz Bustamante.
- In 2007, she received a Minerva Award from The Women's Conference.
- In 2008, she was given an honorary doctorate degree from the University of Southern California.
- Also in 2008, President George H. W. Bush recognized her as one of his "Points of Light," an award for volunteers who make a big impact.
- In 2015, she was honored with the Community Leadership Award from her old university, California State University, Dominguez Hills.
Her story was also featured on the TV show Extreme Makeover: Home Edition after a flood damaged her home in 2003.
