George Ernest Harris, Jr.

Obituary For George Ernest Harris, Jr.

Mr. George Ernest Harris, Jr. passed May 15, 2014.

The memorial service for Mr. George E. Harris, Jr. will be held Thursday, May 22, 014 at 6:00 PM at Atlanta Boulevard SDA Church, 240 Maynard Terrace SE, Atlanta, GA 30316.

GEORGE E. HARRIS, JR. • Personal Information: George E Harris, Jr. was born in Cleveland, Ohio to George E Harris, Sr. and his wife, Chessie Walker Harris. He and his wife lived in Decatur, Georgia for 32 years. Mr. Harris is a local Elder and Religious Liberty leader in the Fort Valley First Seventh-day Adventist Church. • Mr. Harris is survived by his wife, Ariel Harris, daughter, Krista Harris Cheatham, (Ira), and George E Harris, III, grandchildren, Sofia and Carmen, brother, Chester L Harris (Carrie), sister, Joan Robinson (David), nieces, Lawanna Harris and Deanna Harris and his previous wife and friend, Daisy L. Harris.

• Mr. Harris earned his MPA at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public Affairs, Princeton University. His doctoral dissertation, “Large-Scale Landowners, Local Government, and Rural Development in the Southern Black Belt: A Policy Analysis”, generated his passion to implement a social entrepreneurship plan for fresh produce markets. After graduate school he worked at the Southern Regional Council as Staff Task Force Coordinator to US Labor Secretary, Dr. F. Ray Marshall to analyze marginal farm economics in the Deep South and as Associate Professor of Social Work at the Atlanta University. . From 1981 - 1985, he provided executive staff serves to the American Agriculture Movement and to the Harris Family Foundation. In 1986, Mr. Harris founded the Center for Family Farm Development, Inc. the non-profit entrepreneur working with Black American and small farmers to create partnership businesses that provide farmers direct marketing opportunity to: o Benefit from value added profits, now distributed largely among supermarket chains, food brokers and agribusiness corporations o Duplicate those benefits with small farmers in African, Asia, Caribbean and South American countries by establishing partnerships that create positive cash flow through successful prototypes.

He died of heart and respiratory failure at DeKalb Medical Center on May 15, 2014.

Highlights, Center for Family Farm Development History: 1986 - The Center for Family Farm Development, Inc. founded as a non-profit community development corporation 1989 - CFFD receives 501(c)3 status from IRS in March 1989 1989 - With Sen. Paul Coverdell support receives USDA/RB Letter of Intent Grant Award of $170,000 (1989 1994) 1991 - Guest. Japanese Black American Society Trade Mission, research soybean production for Takano Foods 1993 - Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, Agriculture Trade Mission to Congo People 1997 - Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, Trade Mission, Agricultural Ministry, DRC and to the Kimbanguist Church 2002 - Develop National Black Chamber of Commerce recommendation for Executive Order: Full implementation of Pigford vs Glickman April 14, 1999 consent decree 2009 - Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, Agriculture Trade Mission to Congo People and to Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo and the Kimbanguist Church 2013 – Fulton County, GA contract to bring fresh produce from limited income farmers in South Georgia to residents of USDA- designated food deserts to combat the epidemic of obesity and diet related disease rampant in those communities. 2014 - Fulton County, GA Year two of 2013 contract.