Dr. Joseph Harris was born in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He was raised by his great aunt and grew up attended segregated schools. Most young men in his town picked tobacco to make a living, but Dr. Harris looked to education as his way out, a way, his family emphasized, to “being somebody.” He attended Hampton University for a year but because he could not afford to live on campus, he did not enjoy his experience there and went to work in Williamstown, Massachusetts, where his mother lived. After working as a cook at Williams College for a few years, Dr. Harris moved to Schenectady, New York, to work for General Electric. After saving up enough money, he moved to Washington, D.C., to complete his college education at Howard University where he received his undergraduate degree in 1952. While at Howard, Dr. Harris joined Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (ROTC) and went into the service upon graduation. He served as an officer in the Korean War between 1952-1954 before returning to Howard to receive a Master’s in African Studies in 1956. He then went on to earn a PhD from Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, where he met his wife. He completed his doctoral dissertation in Guinea, and later became a professor of history at Howard University.