Dr. Leslie Harris

Biography

Leslie Harris (Ph.D., Stanford, 1995) focuses on complicating ideas about the history of African Americans in the United States, finding ways to communicate new ideas to the general public. Her work on New York City challenges the prevailing view of slavery as a phenomenon confined to the southern United States, highlighting the significance of its presence in the North. Her book, Shadow Slavery: African Americans in New York City, 1626-1863 (University of Chicago, 2003), examines the impact of slavery on definitions of class, gender, citizenship, and political activism promulgated by black and white citizens of New York. This work facilitated her involvement in the New-York Historical Society’s groundbreaking exhibition Slavery in New York (2005-2006), where she served as principal advisor and co-editor of the accompanying book. Over the past decade, Harris has led and participated in numerous public history initiatives, including co-founding and directing the Transforming Community Project at Emory University (2004-2011). In 2011, she co-convened an international conference titled "Slavery and the University: Histories and Legacies," addressing issues of recovering the histories of slavery in higher education institutions. Harris's ongoing research includes a book on New Orleans that interrogates the history of African Americans in the city amidst Hurricane Katrina, as well as continued investigations into slavery, gender, and sexuality in the antebellum U.S. South.

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Awards