Emma Harris
Emma Harris (photo used with permission)
KOREAN CONFLICT ADJUCIATOR,
VETERANS ADMINISTRATION REGIONAL OFFICE (VARO) CLEVELAND, OHIO
As a young child Emma, walked a mile or more to catch the bus to the segregated Third Avenue Elementary School. “I was educated in Evansville, Indiana. It was segregated. I attended the Third Avenue School in Evansville. I graduated from high school in 1951 Lincoln High School, Evansville, Indiana.” On the bus, Black children aged 6 to 17 years old from the surrounding Evansville area sat together for the long ride. The children amused themselves by singing this popular clapping game. Emma loved to sing at the top of her lungs, in unison with the other children. The sounds of “Miss Mary Mack” echoed throughout the bus.
Miss Mary Mack! Mack! Mack!
All dressed in black! Black! Black!
With silver buttons! Buttons! Buttons!
All down her back! Back! Back!
The school bus dropped off the elementary students first, then continued on to Lincoln High School. The Black teachers, charged with educating the young children, received lower salaries than their White counterparts. “Ironically, my granddaughters and great-grandson graduated from the high school that I could not attend because of segregation.” Prior to the 1954 U.S. Supreme ruling on Brown v Board of Education, Black students attended segregated schools. Equipped with obsolete books and inferior furnishings, segregated schools operated under dire conditions. Although Emma attended segregated schools, she maintained that she and her peers received a superior education because of her teacher’s who endured systemic constraints and persevered.
After high school graduation Emma attended Evansville College for one year (known today as the University of Evansville). Exhausting her scholarship funds, Emma was forced to find employment as a clerk in technical services for the Evansville Public Library System. As the only Black clerk at the Public Library, Emma knew the rules of engagement. Punctuality and completing tasks became hallmarks during her tenure at the library. Emma credits her strong work ethic to her teachers at Lincoln High School as valedictorian on June 7, 1951. As an accomplished graduate from Lincoln High, Emma felt poised and confident to meet any new adventure. Unbeknownst to her, Emma’s new challenge waited right around the corner.
Employment in the federal government for African American women continued as the U.S. entered the Korean War in 1950. Of the six Government Girls in my study, Emma Harris, the youngest of the participants, did not work for the federal government during World War II. Instead, Emma’s government appointment occurred in Cleveland, Ohio and her civil service career began during the Korean Conflict. After passing the clerk typist GS-2 test in Cleveland, Emma received a letter advising her to report to the Personnel office at the Veterans Administration Regional Office (VARO) in Cleveland, Ohio in March 1957.
Emma Harris recalled her first experience working for the federal government by citing the importance of a changing political landscape. Emma remembered, “My promotions involved combinations of re-organization within the VARO and proven application of knowledge, skills and ability to perform assigned duties.”
While Emma worked in the SIRU (Special Insurance Reopening Unit), a GS-7 position opened. The supervisor in the Insurance Department predicted that Emma Harris was going to get that job. That meant more money. She did get that position and served as an Estate Management Analyst. Emma explained, “Estate Management Analyst positions were incorporated in the Veterans Benefits Division established by the Washington Central Office in 1974.” Soon after, an organizational re-structuring occurred, and Emma was re-assigned to the Adjudication Division. Emma continued to climb her way up the ladder in the Veteran’s Regional Office. Emma stated, “I was re-assigned to Adjudication GS-7 target GS-9 after one year. Adjudicators processed claims filed by veterans’ widows and orphans for disability compensation, pension and education benefits.”
Emma Harris also learned to advocate for herself and for others. She worked in the Cleveland Office of the Veteran’s Administration Regional Office (VARO) from April 1974 until her retirement on January 3, 1989. She held the position as a Claims Adjudicator. This job increased her pay grade from a GS-7 to GS-9. After becoming an Adjudicator, a whole new world opened for Emma. Her duties included obtaining marriage, divorce and other certified documents as required to award or deny benefits for which a claim was filed. She prepared administrative decisions to validate common law marriages and character of discharge from military services. She also processed claims pursuant to federal laws and guidelines.
Emma worked part-time for the Cuyahoga County Mental Health Board after her official retirement from the V.A. At the Cuyahoga County Mental Health Board she organized People of Color-Family Association for the Mentally Ill (POC-FAMI) as a part of a Minority Mental Health Initiative. After termination of her paid position, she continued to volunteer as a Resource Support to family members:
“After the death of my husband, I returned to Evansville to be with family members. I provided free daycare for my great-grandchildren from 6 weeks old to Pre-K school attendance. What a joy to see their education attainments in a White dominated school setting! In November 2009, I received the NAACP Award for being the first African American employed in the Administrative Services of the Vanderburgh County Public Library in Evansville, Indiana.”
Emma resides in Evansville, Indiana. Emma’s two children earned post-secondary degrees and secured excellent jobs in the public and private sector. As a retired civil servant, Emma Harris served as a court appointed advocate for abused children. A proud great-grandmother, she remains involved in helping to support her great-grandchildren. Emma proudly reminds the next generation of her roots. She is a direct descendent of slaves from Kentucky. She shares the stories of the indignities that her grandfather and great grandfather endured. Louis B. Smith, Sr., a slave, and Louis B. Smith, Jr., a free man who worked in the coal mines in Muhlenberg County, Drakesboro, Kentucky, dreamed of a better future for the next generation. Emma Harris took the first step in realizing the dreams of her ancestors by becoming a Government Girl in Cleveland, Ohio.
In addition to her Adjudicator responsibilities, she was appointed a collateral duty as EEO Counselor by the VARO Director. She investigated alleged discrimination promotion complaints as requested by fellow employees.
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Please contact Ms. Harris, 812.424.2842 with any questions.