This image is the cover for the book Virginia's Civil Rights Hero Curtis W. Harris Sr., American Heritage

Virginia's Civil Rights Hero Curtis W. Harris Sr., American Heritage

In 1924, the Virginia State Legislature passed the Racial Integrity Act. The act banned interracial marriage down to "a single drop" of African blood. Just three months later, Curtis W. Harris was born in Dendron, Virginia. Harris was the sixth child of impoverished sharecroppers, living in a desolate outpost of the Commonwealth, but in time he would lead the fight against the Racial Integrity Act and many other racially restrictive laws. Despite being arrested multiple times and beaten, Rev. Harris would help reverse centuries of racial discrimination that began when slaves first arrived in Virginia in 1619. Author William Paul Lazarus tells the story of Harris' determination in the face of intense hostility, which took him to the forefront of America's Civil Rights Movement, arm-in-arm with the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

William Lazarus

William Paul Lazarus is an award-winning newspaper reporter and magazine editor who has published a variety of fiction and nonfiction books on a wide array of topics, including A Guide to American Culture and Passover in Prison: Abuses and Challenges Faced by Jews in America's Prisons . He holds an ABD in American studies from Case Western Reserve (OH) University and has taught at various colleges and universities, including Yale, Kent State (OH) University, The University (CT) of New Haven, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical (FL) University and Daytona (FL) State College. His books are sold worldwide and can be found on Amazon.com, Kindle.com and other sites.

The History Press