The Life of Winifred Harris
The life of green activist and community organizer, Winnie Harris, is an opportunity to understand how the Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed American history and benefits everyone.
Winnie will be known best for creating green spaces that made our neighborhoods brighter and illuminated us on the inside. A native Philadelphian, Winnie Harris was the second oldest of seven children. She graduated from Bok Vocational High School with honors in 1970. Only 25% of African Americans 25 years of age or above had completed high school during this time. Her high school teacher noted on her report card, “These grades are college material.”
After completing high school, Winnie became a mother to her first and only child. Wanting her own home, she rented a house on Holly Street. In 1977 after ongoing disagreements with her landlord about needed property repairs, she purchased the property with the support of her father. She became a homeowner at a time when only 41% of African American were able to do so. According to the US Census, this number has barely budged in decades.
Continuing to defy odds, Winnie graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Interior Design from Drexel University. In 1983 she was the second person in her entire extended family to go to college. She worked as an interior designer at A. Pomerantz & Co. and then Thomas Jefferson University. During the 1990’s recession, she opened and co-owned the design firm Harris Coles & Associates.
Winnie also served as block captain. In 2005, she united family, friends, and neighbors to help clean the trash strewn vacant lots on Holly Street. Those two lots became the entrance to the Holly Street Neighbors Community Garden. Visitors to the garden will now find honey locust, Japanese maples, European hornbeam trees, spearmint, thyme, coral bells, and switch grass among other hearty plants. The garden has been a repeat winner of the Philadelphia Horticultural Society & City Garden contest.
In 2005, Winnie also started work with UC Green as a Volunteer Coordinator. A natural organizer with an experienced green thumb, she led teams to plant, prune, and care for trees throughout the city. She later served as Acting Executive Director for UC Green. Under her leadership from 2015-2016 community support for UC Green increased by 40% in a single year. Winnie is credited for giving many young people their first job through UC Green Corp, a tree care and landscaping program she created.
Winnie’s contributions to the city of Philadelphia are many. At her death, one of her volunteers noted the tree branches of Philadelphia seemed to hang a little lower. 2,894 trees were planted in Philadelphia during her tenure with UC Green. Each tree is an enduring reminder of the importance of civil rights, education, fair housing, investing in ourselves and our communities.
https://hollystreetneighborscommunitygarden.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Holly-Street-Neighbors-Community-Garden-1324428427645154/