Jim Crow’s Stowe Teachers College’s President Ruth Harris: Harbinger for Future African American Academy Presidents

In 1940, St. Louis Public Schools named Dr. Ruth Harris, the first African American female President of the Harris-Stowe State University, previously named Stowe Teachers College. During the Jim Crow era, Harris joined a small cadre of African American females who were harbingers for future academy administrators. These women, who supported and advocated for their faculty paved the way for their peers who are currently leading or teaching at colleges and universities. Situated in Black feminist thought, race uplift, and female mentoring model, this educational biographical narrative examined Harris’ support of faculty as she guided the development of Stowe. In her book, Stowe Teachers College and Her Predecessors, Harris referred to the collaborative work performed by her and her staff to gain accreditation as one of her guiding principles. Another principle, the university should study itself, helped the faculty gain Stowe’s accreditation. This representation of Harris’ collaboration with her colleagues revealed her willingness to support her faculty. Vestiges of Black feminist theory and race uplift in the form of mentoring exist today as African American women help junior faculty navigate tenure in higher education.