Today we’d like to introduce you to Reggie Harris.
Hi Reggie, so excited to have you with us today. What can you tell us about your story?
I was born and raised on the south of Chicago. From a young age, I was deeply involved in the performing arts. I would go on to dance with the Joffrey Ballet of Chicago, Ballet Austin, River North Chicago Dance Company, and Dances Patrelle, totaling 10 years of performing experience. Following my dance career, I was part of a small group of arts educators that opened The Chicago High School for the Arts (Chiarts) – Chicago’s first and only public performing arts high school. I became deeply invested in the impacts of trauma on individual student’s outcomes and how systems affect individual exposure to trauma. This led me to go to school to become a social work strategist (MSW, LISW-S) and therapist (CTP). As a clinical social worker, I witnessed my clients work tirelessly to improve their life circumstances. Despite this work, they are often met with larger systemic barriers that can’t be overcome with grit and resilience alone. Thus, I continued to journey upstream, and most recently, I worked for The Community Builders, an affordable housing developer, as the Director of Community Life for Ohio and Indianapolis. Working in the affordable housing sphere allowed me to begin to interact with one of the most overarching and impactful systems that impacts one’s life – housing.
The systemic limitations in that work is what ultimately led me to run successfully for Cincinnati City Council. My vision is to improve the systems that impact our most vulnerable communities, while providing safe, quality housing for all. I chair the Equitable Growth and Housing Committee, the city’s first committee explicitly dedicated to housing.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
One value I gained growing up was to never take anything for granted, and in my journey to where I am right now, that lesson has been invaluable. Running for Cincinnati City council not just as a transplant, but also as an openly gay Black man in a city that had never elected one before came with its share of challenges. Intersectionality is especially amplified in the public sphere, and I must be extremely conscious about everything I do and how it will be received by others.
My road was made smoother thanks to parents and extended family who loved and supported me, a blessing that is not shared by everyone.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I proudly serve as a Council Member for the City of Cincinnati. Although I am most well-known for my background as a social worker and therapist, I specialize in housing through my previous work in affordable housing development. That expertise led to my appointment as the chair of the City’s Equitable Growth and Housing Committee, the city’s first committee dedicated to housing. My career as a professional ballet dancer instilled a commitment to process, hard work, and perfection in me, while my work as a social worker and therapist grounded me in shared humanity and empathy for the human condition. What I believe truly separates me from others is precisely the balance of these two lived experiences. I believe in processes and systems change, but am committed to never losing sight of the humanity of the work we do. I believe this balance is the key towards moving Cincinnati forward.
Is there a quality that you most attribute to your success?
If you tune into any council meeting, you will find moments where I slow down the conversation to open up and ask honest, clarifying questions about whatever we are discussing. I’ll admit, it is hard to be vulnerable about not understanding something when a meeting is being broadcast to the public. It is a characteristic of mine to feel as if I understand something fully before acting on it, no matter how small. Although this can feel like a burden at times, it is important to being a successful elected official because constituents can rest assured that every vote I take is carefully thought out and in consideration of the city’s best interests. This is incredibly important to me, both personally and professionally.
Contact Info:
- Website: reggieforcincinnati.com
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/CMReggieHarris
Image Credits
Angie Lipscomb
Cincinnati Enquirer
