This was the home of Dr. Richard Harris, Jr. and his wife Vera. He was the grandson of John W. Jones, Alabama State Senator during Reconstruction. Harris was a captain with the famed 99^th Squadron Tuskegee Airmen during World War II.  A registered pharmacist, he owned and operated Dean Drug Store, Montgomery’s oldest black drug store. He was known to be an ardent civil rights supporter. Between May 20-24, 1961, Dr. Harris opened this home to a group of 33 students from Nashville, Tennessee who were challenging interstate bus segregation. Known as the Freedom Riders, this group, including John Lewis, was brutally attacked upon arrival at the historic Montgomery Greyhound Bus station and harassed by rioters. This house provided a safe harbor as well as a strategic meeting place.

Just A Neighbor: A Child’s Memoir of the Civil Right Movement

by Dr. Valda H. Montgomery

This narrative depicts life during the 1950s and 1960s in the Centennial Hill neighborhood of Montgomery, AL. The author recounts fond, moving and even traumatic childhood memories involving her family and the families of Vernon Johns and Martin Luther King, Jr.

About the Author

Valda Harris Montgomery, PhD is an associate professor in the Clinical Doctorate of Physical Therapy Program at Alabama State University in Montgomery, AL. She is a native of Montgomery, AL and earned degrees from Fisk University, United States Sports Academy and Auburn University. She is the second child of Richard and Vera Harris. Her continued search of family history and lasting childhood memories resulted in the writing of this book.