… peers gave [Harris] hero status … a status he so deserved.
Outcry Review
A Powerful True Story
Harris’ miraculous true story, A Reason For Being, brings us into the life of a young black cop who sees injustice in every corner of the law system. Recruited by the Mayor to improve race relations, Harris digs to the depths of a department rampant with racism, and doesn’t back down from a fight.
A malicious judge. A cop who can’t look away from injustice. A system turned upside down.
In his relentless pursuit to bring accountability to the police force, Harris sets off a miraculous chain of events that leads to a landmark court decision (Harris v. Harvey). The case, now enshrined in the Civil Rights Museum alongside the works of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., is taken all the way to the Supreme Court.
The Book: A Reason for Being
If you are fighting for social justice, A Reason For Being is a story to light the way — in it, Harris ignites the flame for true equality, by never looking away, no matter what the personal cost.
The first case in United States history, where a sitting court judge was sued and lost in a civil action.
From chilling reprisals to a dramatic courtroom climax, the book ignites within us too, the power to take a stand.
Who is Sylvester Harris?
Sylvester Harris was an African-American author and former police lieutenant known for his landmark civil rights case against a judge. The case (Harris v. Harvey) is the first time a judge was sued and lost in a civil action in the United States.
The one man story of how the civil rights movement reached a dead end.
San Francisco Chronicle