Leslie M. Harris

Dr. Leslie M. Harris is a Professor of U.S. History at Northwestern University with a distinguished career focusing on African American history, particularly the history of slavery in both Northern and Southern United States. Her scholarship has significantly reshaped understanding of slavery's role in Northern urban centers and has been instrumental in public history initiatives.

Her research interests include pre-Civil War African American labor and social history, the history and historiography of U.S. slavery, urban history, Southern history, and the history of women, gender and sexuality. Harris has pioneered work challenging the prevailing view of slavery as exclusively a Southern phenomenon, demonstrating its profound impact on Northern cities like New York.

Her publications reveal consistent scholarly focus on the intersection of slavery with urban development, gender dynamics, and regional identity. Harris has made significant contributions to public understanding through museum exhibitions, edited volumes featuring multiple experts, and her ongoing work on New Orleans history using Hurricane Katrina as a lens.

Honors include:

• 2014 Leadership in History Award of Merit
• 2014 Award for Excellence in Documenting Georgia's History
• 2015 Lilla M. Hawes Award
• Wesley-Logan Prize

Harris has advised doctoral students including Natasha McPherson, Assistant Professor at University of California, Riverside. Her public engagement includes leading the Transforming Community Project at Emory University and co-convening the international conference 'Slavery and the University: Histories and Legacies.' She is currently working on a book about New Orleans that uses Hurricane Katrina and family history to examine African American experiences from the nineteenth century to present.