Othello Maria Harris-Jefferson (February 23, 1905 – September 26, 1988) was an American educator and activist from Texas. From 1929 to the 1960s, she taught at Bluefield State Teachers College in West Virginia, where the Othello Harris-Jefferson Student Center is named in her honor.

Early life and education

Harris was born in

Brenham, Texas Brenham ( ) is a city in east-central Texas, United States, and the county seat of Washington County, with a population of 17,369 according to the 2020 U.S. census. Brenham is also known for its annual German heritage festival that takes pl ...

, the daughter of Gertrude Smith. Her mother was a dressmaker. She graduated from Dallas Colored High School in 1918, and from

Howard University Howard University is a private, historically black, federally chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Universities – Very high research activity" and accredited by the Mid ...

in 1922. She earned a master's degree from

Columbia University Columbia University in the City of New York, commonly referred to as Columbia University, is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Churc ...

and began doctoral work there. She was a member of the

Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a List of African-American fraternities, historically African American Fraternities and sororities, sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emp ...

sorority.

Career

Harris taught education, psychology, drama, and speech classes and was supervisor of elementary education at Bluefield State Teachers College (now Bluefield State University) in West Virginia, from 1929 until the 1960s. In 1936 she helped start a graduate chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, at an event in her home. She was also a member of

The Links The Links is an American social and service organization of prominent black women. It was founded in 1946 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. As of 2025, it has 299 chapters and more than 17,000 members in the United States and other countries.. Its ...

. Harris-Jefferson founded Bluefield State's Touchstone Guild and Aesthetic Club, both for students interested in the theatre. In time, the Aesthetic Club became more political in its interests, and it merged with the local

NAACP The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) is an American civil rights organization formed in 1909 as an interracial endeavor to advance justice for African Americans by a group including W. E. B. Du&nbs ...

chapter to work for civil rights causes. In 1954, she made a series of lectures in the Dallas, Texas, area. She helped to

desegregate Racial integration, or simply integration, includes desegregation (the process of ending systematic racial segregation), leveling barriers to association, creating equal opportunity regardless of race, and the development of a culture that draws ...

the lunch counters in Bluefield, and in 1965, she was honored by the Bluefield NAACP for her work.

Personal life and legacy

Harris married fellow educator Phillip Grant Jefferson in 1932. Her husband died in 1986, and she died in 1988. At Bluefield State, the Othello Harris-Jefferson Student Center was named in her memory in 2000. In 2022, large framed portraits of Harris-Jefferson and her husband turned up at an auction house, and were donated to Bluefield State University.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris-Jefferson, Othello Maria 1905 births 1988 deaths People from Brenham, Texas Howard University alumni Delta Sigma Theta members Bluefield State College faculty