Julie Harris
Julie Schwam Harris was born in New Orleans in 1952. She, and her husband, Seth Harris, raised two sons. Harris has been involved politically throughout her life and worked in the New Orleans Mayor's office, including under the Ray Nagin administration. Following Katrina, she coordinated lobbying efforts for funds to rebuild New Orleans. Harris has a lengthy background in grassroots organizing, especially for women's rights. In 2013 she helped organize a coalition called LAW, the Legislative Agenda for Women, which advocates for access to women's full range of health care.
Harris shares her family's background and her deep love for New Orleans. She worked for the Mayor's office under two different administrations, Marc Morial and Ray Nagin. With Hurricane Katrina approaching, she evacuated to Jacksonville and then eventually Baton Rouge, where she continued her work for the government as the Deputy Director of Intergovernmental Relations. Harris described the city's difficulties with getting money from the federal government and the restrictions that came with their money. She returned to New Orleans soon after the storm, living on a boat brought by FEMA. Harris witnessed the impact of Katrina on the poorer populations and the responsibility of the city to care for the most vulnerable. During this time, she worked on helping people with limited resources return to the city. She shared her thoughts on government and her opinions on Nagin. Since the storm, Harris has volunteered her time gutting houses and other cleanup activities. Harris described her identity as an agnostic Jew and how her early Jewish education informed her activism and impacted her work. Harris became involved in grassroots politics on the issue of women's rights; she wasn't motivated by religion but by an internal ethic. Harris shared her hopes for the future of the city and the need for a more equitable New Orleans.
