Noah Harris Makes History As The First Black Man Elected As Student Council President By Harvard’s Student Body

Young, gifted, and Black!

Noah Harris just made history as the first Black man to be elected as Harvard’s student council president, USA Today reports.

Harris, a Hattiesburg, Mississippi native, said he never even knew attending Harvard was a possibility. In 2018, he graduated from Oak Grove High School and served as an intern for Mississippi Senator Roger Wicker. His work in his community, his parents and his mentors inspired him to dream bigger. Eventually, he gained admission to Harvard, immediately getting involved in the larger student body, becoming co-chair of the Undergraduate Council’s Black Caucus, where he also serves as treasurer. His desire to unite students and inspire more diversity and inclusion on campus motivated him to run for student council president.

“Harvard’s community specifically, it’s very diverse, but it’s kind of diverse in that it has its own separate communities. A lot of what we’re trying to do is we’re trying to bring communities together,” Harris said.

He and Jenny Gan, a Cleveland native majoring in neuroscience, ran together addressing diversity, student life, inclusion, and mental and physical health. Now, Harris has made history, becoming the first Black man to be elected by the student body as president, with Gan serving as vice-president.

Photo Courtesy of Hattiesburg American/USA Today

His victory was paved by others before him, including Cary Gabay, the first Black man to serve in the role, chosen by members of the council in 1994, and Fentrice Driskell, the first Black woman elected as student body president in 1999, who now serves in the Florida House of Representatives.

“I definitely don’t take [my win] lightly, especially with everything that went on this summer with the death of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Arbery, all the protests that went on in this moment of racial reckoning in this country. This is a major statement by the Harvard student body to entrust a Black man with such an unprecedented moment in history,” Harris said.

Brandon Terry, assistant professor of African and African American studies and social studies at Harvard, spoke about Harris’ historic win, saying, “[Harris is] somebody who has made sure that the relatively privileged student body that we have at Harvard is exposed to and attuned to broader issues of fairness in the larger society. That’s rare as a student body leader…I think it reflects a growing interest among the broader student body in taking these questions of diversity and inclusion seriously, not just as an abstract or intellectual puzzle, but as a set of values to be lived in the decisions that they make in their most intimate community.”

Former Hattiesburg mayor Johnny DuPree called Harris “a special young man,” saying, “He has so much drive to be an achiever and make a difference. I think it’s important for us to be total Americans, to be involved in the process of governing, involved in the process of making life better. Our life experiences give us a unique look into the lives of other people, and it’s difficult to address the needs of different groups if you are not accustomed to or associated with or aware of the needs of those communities, and that’s what I think Noah is interested in.”

Senator Roger Wicker also tweeted his congratulations saying, “Proud of Hattiesburg native and former #WickerIntern [Noah Harris] for being elected Harvard Student Body President.” 

Harris is excited to begin his term. He will be sworn in on December 6th to start his 2021 term.

We’re proud of you! Congratulations, Noah!!

Photo Courtesy of Hattiesburg American/USA Today