{{Short description|African-American HIV/AIDS activist}} {{Infobox person | name = Craig G. Harris | birth_date = {{Birth date|1958|04|08}} | birth_place = New York City, New York, U.S. | death_date = {{death date and age|1991|11|26|1958|04|08}} | organization = National Minority AIDS Council <br>Minority Task Force on AIDS<br>Gay Men's Health Crisis | known_for = HIV/AIDS activism }}
'''Craig G. Harris''' (April 8, 1958 – November 26, 1991) was an African-American writer, poet, health educator, and HIV/AIDS activist.
== Life == Harris was born on April 8, 1958, in the South Bronx, New York. He studied English and Education at Vassar College, graduating in 1980.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=archives.nypl.org -- Craig G. Harris papers |url=https://archives.nypl.org/scm/25673 |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=archives.nypl.org}}</ref>
Harris was HIV positive during his time as an activist. He was diagnosed with pulmonary Kaposi's sarcoma in January 1991 and died on November 26, 1991. He was 33 years old.<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |date=2014-01-07 |title=A Look at Black Gay HIV Activism, Through a Veteran's Eyes |url=https://www.thebody.com/article/a-look-at-black-gay-aids-activism-through-a-vetera |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=www.thebody.com}}</ref>
== Activism == Harris began his AIDS/HIV activism when he moved to Washington, D.C. in 1986. He worked with the National Coalition of Black Lesbian and Gays (NCBLG) to organize the first National Conference on AIDS in the Black Community at the D.C. convention center in July 1986. This conference included over 400 people from all over the country who wanted to discuss how to address the impact of the AIDS epidemic within the Black community.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Hughes |first=Sarah Anne |date=2015-06-05 |title=Get Organized |url=http://washingtoncitypaper.com/article/199849/get-organized-the-nations-first-coalition-of-black-lgbtq-individuals/ |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=Washington City Paper |language=en-US}}</ref>
In 1987, the American Public Health Association held their annual convention with, for the first time, a focus on HIV/AIDS. Despite the disproportionate impact of AIDS on the Black community, particularly on Black gay men, they did not involve any panelists of color.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Royles |first=Dan |date=2017-12-23 |title=Black Gay History and the Fight Against AIDS - AAIHS |url=https://www.aaihs.org/black-gay-history-and-the-fight-against-aids/ |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=www.aaihs.org |language=en-US}}</ref> During the conference, Harris rushed onto the panel and took the microphone while shouting, "I will be heard." He announced the formation of the National Minority AIDS Council to address HIV/AIDS in communities of color where the government would not.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Ayala |first1=George |last2=Spieldenner |first2=Andrew |date=2021 |title=HIV Is a Story First Written on the Bodies of Gay and Bisexual Men |journal=American Journal of Public Health |language=en |volume=111 |issue=7 |pages=1240–1242 |doi=10.2105/AJPH.2021.306348 |issn=0090-0036 |pmc=8493153 |pmid=34110917}}</ref>
The National Minority AIDS Council was founded in 1987 by Harris and other activists, including Paul Kawata, Calu Lester, Don Edwards, Suki Ports, Timm Offutt, Norm Nickens, Carl Bean, Gilberto Gerald, Marie St.-Cyr, and Sandra McDonald.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |title=Timeline: 30 Years of AIDS in Black America |url=https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/article/timeline-30-years-of-aids-in-black-america/ |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=FRONTLINE |language=en-US}}</ref>
Harris worked with the National Minority AIDS Council and the Spectrum AIDS Project in Washington, D.C. until 1988, when he moved to New York to work as the Executive-Director of the Minority Task Force on AIDS.<ref name=":1" />
The last position that he held was with the Gay Men's Health Crisis (GMHC), an organization that still assists and advocates for gay men with HIV/AIDS, particularly gay Black men.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gay Men's Health Crisis Still Leads the 40 Year Battle Against HIV |url=https://www.out.com/print/2021/6/30/gay-mens-health-crisis-still-leads-40-year-battle-against-hiv |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=www.out.com |language=en}}</ref>
Harris' work involved sexual health education, with a focus on helping people of color.<ref name=":3" />
== Writing == Harris was a prominent writer and journalist in the Black gay community of the 80s and 90s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2013-12-02 |title=On the Greatest Generation: The Black Gay '80s |url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/on-the-greatest-generatio_b_4333993 |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=HuffPost |language=en}}</ref> His articles, and essays were published in places like the NCBLG's ''Black/Out'' magazine,<ref>{{Cite journal |year=1986 |title=Black/Out: The Magazine of the National Coalition of Black Lesbians and gays |url=https://bcrw.barnard.edu/archive/lesbian/Black_Out_Magazine.pdf |journal=Black/Out |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=National Coalition of Black Lesbians and Gays, Inc. |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=4, 10–12}}</ref> ''The Advocate'', ''Ebony'', ''Gay Community News'', ''New York Native'', ''Outweek'', and ''The Washington Blade.''<ref name=":0" />
Harris was involved in the "Other Countries" writers collective in New York.<ref name=":0" />
=== Poetry and stories in anthologies (selected) ===
* ''In the Life: A Black Gay Anthology'', Joseph Beam, 1986<ref name=":2">{{Cite book |url=http://archive.org/details/inlife0000unse |title=In the life : a Black gay anthology |date=1986 |location=Boston |publisher= Alyson Publications |isbn=978-0-932870-73-5}}</ref> * ''New Men New Minds: Breaking Male Tradition'', Franklin Abbott, 1987 * ''Tongues Untied (Gay Verse)'', Dirg Aab-Richards, 1987<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.librarything.com/work/500655 |title=Tongues Untied (Gay Verse) by Dirg Aaab-Richards |date=June 1987 |isbn=978-0-85449-053-0 |language=en |last1=Aaab-Richards |first1=Dirg }}</ref> * ''The Road Before Us: 100 Gay Black Poets,'' Assotto Saint, 1991<ref>{{Cite book |last=Saint |first=Assotto |url=http://archive.org/details/roadbeforeus00asso |title=The Road before us : 100 gay Black poets |date=1991 |location=New York, NY |publisher= Galiens Press |isbn=978-0-9621675-1-5}}</ref> * ''Brother to Brother: New Writings by Black Gay Men'', Exxex Hemphill & Dorothy Beam, 1991<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.librarything.com/work/498810 |title=In the Life: A Black Gay Anthology by Joseph Beam |date=1993 |publisher=Alyson Publications |isbn=978-0-932870-73-5 |language=en}}</ref> * ''Freedom in this Village: Twenty-Five Years of Black Gay Men's Writing'', E. Lynn Harris, 2005<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.librarything.com/work/1602531 |title=Freedom in this Village: Twenty-Five Years of Black Gay Men's Writing by E. Lynn Harris |date=2005 |publisher=Carroll & Graf |isbn=978-0-7867-1387-5 |language=en}}</ref> * ''Persistent Voices: Poetry by Writers Lost to AIDS'', David Groff & Philip Clark, 2010<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://www.librarything.com/work/9644581 |title=Persistent Voices: Poetry by Writers Lost to AIDS by David Groff |date=2010 |publisher=Alyson |isbn=978-1-59350-153-2 |language=en}}</ref>
=== Other works (selected) ===
* ''I'm Going to Go Out Like a Fucking Meteor!'' (Biographical essay) * ''Black, Gay, and Proud'' (article in ''VENUS'' magazine, 1997)<ref>{{Cite web |title="Black, Gay, and Proud," by Craig G. Harris, 1997 {{!}} Auburn Avenue Research Library on African American Culture and History |url=https://aafa.galileo.usg.edu/repositories/2/archival_objects/7754 |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=aafa.galileo.usg.edu}}</ref> * ''Hope Against Hope'' (unfinished final volume of poetry)<ref name=":0" />
== Legacy ==
''The Craig G. Harris Papers, 1986-1993'' is a collection of Harris' poetry, articles, speeches, essays, and personal documents hosted by the New York Public Library.<ref name=":0" /> In addition, recordings of Harris's memorial service after his death and recordings from his life are held by the New York Public Library Manuscripts and Archives.<ref name="NYPL">{{cite web |author=Digital Collections, The New York Public Library |title=(moving image) Craig Harris memorial and reading, (1984 - 1999) |url=https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/collections/gay-mens-health-crisis-records#/?tab=navigation&roots=9605a890-562e-0136-6366-018949fbf4a1/4:b405d6f0-562f-0136-6939-3ff563ca5c78/1:60acdac0-5637-0136-5851-5be04d3c27b8 |accessdate=May 3, 2024 |publisher=The New York Public Library, Astor, Lenox, and Tilden Foundations}}</ref> A photograph of his dedicated AIDS memorial quilt, along with several other photographs from his life, are also included in the collection.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Craig G. Harris photograph collection |url=https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/collection/data/1304494253 |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=researchworks.oclc.org |language=en}}</ref>
On June 27, 2017, the Counter Narrative Project hosted several events in Atlanta, Oakland, and Washington, D.C. for their ''I Will Be Heard'' National Day of Action in honor of Craig G. Harris and to commemorate National HIV Testing Day,<ref>{{Cite journal |last=CDCMMWR |date=2017 |title=National HIV Testing Day — June 27, 2017 |url=https://www.facebook.com/CDCMMWR |journal=MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report |language=en-us |volume=66 |issue=24 |page=629 |doi=10.15585/mmwr.mm6624a1 |issn=0149-2195|pmc=5657797 }}</ref> including a theatre production by the Brave Souls Collective in D.C.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Events Hosted Across The Country To Celebrate The Legacy Of Craig G. Harris And Raise Awareness Around The Impact Of Hiv In The Lives Of Black Gay Men |url=https://www.thecounternarrative.org/our-statements/2017/06/26/2017-6-26-counter-narrative-project-unites-black-gay-men-around-day-of-action |access-date=2024-05-03 |website=CNP |language=en-US}}</ref>
== See also ==
* HIV/AIDS activism * LGBT Movements in the United States * National Minority AIDS Council
== References == <references />
== External links ==
* [https://archives.nypl.org/scm/25673 Craig G. Harris papers (1986-1993)] at the New York Public Library Archives and Manuscripts * [https://researchworks.oclc.org/archivegrid/collection/data/1304494253 Craig G. Harris photograph collection] at ArchiveGrid
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Harris, Craig G.}} Category:1958 births Category:1991 deaths Category:20th-century African-American writers Category:20th-century American male writers Category:20th-century American LGBTQ people Category:American HIV/AIDS activists Category:American gay writers Category:African-American activists Category:African-American LGBTQ people Category:Activists from New York City Category:Vassar College alumni