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Julie Menders and Elanah Sherman
For The Bulletin
This April at the Otis Library on Main Street in Norwich, Harris Sisters Month recognizes the courage and achievements of Norwich natives Sarah and Mary Harris.
The sisters were among the first Black students at Prudence Crandall s Canterbury school; indeed, the root of this experiment in integration was Sarah s request in 1832 which Crandall granted to take classes at the then all-white academy. The consequences, including violence and the eventual closing of the school, constitute one of the most significant chapters in American abolitionist history.
Following the closing of the school, Sarah and Mary continued to lead distinguished lives marked by audacity and purpose, Sarah as an abolitionist in Rhode Island and Mary as an educator in Louisiana.