Stone memorializing Corra Harris

Item

Legacies Classification
Memorial Object
Memorial Type
Plaque/Marker
Memorial Context
Memorialized Subject
Harris, Corra
Title
Stone memorializing Corra Harris
Background and Context
The “Walk of Fame” was created in 1929 by then president Hamilton Holt to honor significant historical figures. The memorial is located in the center of campus around Mills Lawn.
Corra Harris--1869-1935--was a prolific and renowned writer. Her article “A Southern Women's View” caught the attention of Rollins College President Hamilton Holt who invited her to be a visiting faculty member the institution during the winter semester, 1920-1930. The article offered a defense of lynching, and Harris wrote more articles that disparaged African Americans in the south after this. That Holt was so enthusiastic about Harris’ teaching and writing is confusing considering his progressive stance on race relations. Holt helped to organize the Cosmopolitan Club, a mixed race gathering that aimed to improve race relations in New York. He attended Booker T. Washington's annual conferences. He was also a founding member of the NAACP. Yet he made no criticism of Harris's views and welcomed her to Rollins College. While working as a visiting professor, Harris taught a class on the nature and origin of evil, which led to her nickname, The Professor of Evil. Corra Harris had a close relationship with the Georgia chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution, going so far as to leave them money in her will. After her death the Daughters of the American Revolution sponsored her stone in the Rollins Walk of Fame. In response to the national conversation sparked by the Black Lives Matter movement over concerns about racial justice in 2020, President Cornwell ordered the removal of nine stones from the Rollins Walk of Fame, one of which included the Corra Harris stone. However, despite the ordered removal, the stone remains in place.
Holt, Hamilton
Physical Description
1ft x 1ft 6in polished granite block
Memorial Inscription
CORRA HARRIS
CIRCUIT RIDER'S WIFE
ELBERT COUNTY, GA
STEPHEN HEARD CHAPTER D.A.R. ELBBERTON, GA
Creator/Participating Person(s)
Daughters of the American Revolution
Date created, installed or dedicated
August 1, 1941
Funded by
Daughters of the American Revolution
Campus Location
Location: Institution, City, State
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