Trudier Harris Awarded Inaugural George H. Johnson Prize

Trudier Harris, J. Carlyle Sitterson Professor of English and IAH Faculty Fellow and Academic Leadership Fellow, is the perfect first recipient of The George H. Johnson Prize for Distinguished Achievement by an IAH Fellow.

The Institute created The George H. Johnson Prize to honor George Johnson, one of the Institute’s longtime supporters and great ambassadors, and to recognize exemplary contributions by an IAH Fellow in the arts, humanities or qualitative social sciences.

Like Mr. Johnson, Dr. Harris is described by those who know her as larger than life, enthusiastic and generous.

Mr. Johnson is known as a raconteur, a natural storyteller with an arsenal of tales. In 2003, Dr. Harris shared some of her stories in a memoir, Summer Snow: Reflections from a Black Daughter of the South.

Both Mr. Johnson and Dr. Harris are dedicated public servants. Each has a lengthy history of service to their community. Dr. Harris mentored two female school students through the Carrboro Blue Ribbon Mentor-Advocate program. She has been an active fund-raiser for the Triangle AIDS Interfaith Network, among other local organizations, and regularly donates her time to community organizations and events.

IAH Director John McGowan describes the Johnson Prize as a lifetime achievement award. “It was in the spirit of George, who has given so selflessly, that we wanted also to honor faculty who have given over their lifetime to Carolina and made this a better place,” McGowan said.

The biennial award, dedicated to Mr. Johnson in September 2007, provides the recipient $7,500 and a banquet in honor of the winner.

Dr. Harris grew up in a sharply segregated Alabama community during the ’50s and ’60s before earning graduate degrees from The Ohio State University. McGowan describes Dr. Harris as a true leader. “Trudier has been a pioneer throughout her life—as a student, a teacher and a scholar,” McGowan said.

Dr. Harris has published groundbreaking research in African-American literature and folklore, including a study of lynching and a book on the portrayal of African-American women in literature. She has also edited best-selling anthologies of African-American and Southern literature.

Since joining the UNC English department in 1979, Dr. Harris has accumulated a wealth of honors and awards. In 2005, she received the UNC System Board of Governors’ Award for Excellence in Teaching, which is presented to one faculty member at each of the UNC system schools.

Dr. Harris seeks to inspire all of her students. “I have an obligation to not bore students who are there because they have to be,” she said.

She also challenges her students to pursue high standards of work. Dr. Harris takes the approach that every student starts her class with an A. Each has the responsibility to maintain that A throughout the semester. Some do, and some don’t. “I will allow you to fail yourself,” Dr. Harris said.

A member of the inaugural class of IAH Leadership Fellows in spring 2002, Dr. Harris also participated in the Faculty Fellows Program in fall 2002. Her Leadership Fellows class continues to meet monthly for dinner and conversation.

Dr. Harris came to UNC from the College of William and Mary seeking the support system of a research institute with other scholars in her discipline. Through IAH programs, she was able to expand her network beyond the English department.

“I got to meet people outside of my department, people who were incredibly successful in their own professions,” Dr. Harris said. “And we liked each other. It’s great to be in such a great group of people. Everyone just left their egos at the door.”

Among her academic accomplishments, Dr. Harris has advised 24 doctoral students. Her relationship with her doctoral students reflects what she has provided the University: a commitment to her students and a legacy of outstanding teaching and scholarship.

“You just always want them to do well,” Dr. Harris said of her advisees. “Every year when they’re on the job market, you’re on the job market. I don’t have kids biologically, but there are all these minds I’ve touched intellectually, so that’s a legacy that goes on.”