Harold T. Pinkett Minority Student Award: Lori E. Harris

Lori E. Harris, a graduate student in the School of Information and Library Science at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the 2013 recipient of the Harold T. Pinkett Minority Student Award. The award recognizes minority graduate students of African, Asian, Latino, or Native American descent who, through scholastic achievement, manifest an interest in becoming professional archivists and active members of SAA.

Harris, who works part time as a library associate at North Carolina State University’s Special Collections Research Center, is pursuing a master of library and information science degree with a concentration in archives and records management. Harris’s passion for building partnerships between communities of color and archival institutions is apparent through her involvement with Project RIGHT Now–Carolinas!, an organization dedicated to preserving local African American history in North and South Carolina. Her involvement with the organization has involved collaborating with individuals and community organizations to facilitate workshops, exhibitions, and project consultations that helped to preserve and promote resources related to African American history.

One recommender noted that Harris “takes an interest in every aspect of our work and is developing the skills and abilities needed to become an excellent archivist and a leader in her chosen profession.”