Legacy of Kwesi

Kwesi Ronald Harris was born on November 22, 1959, in Chicago, IL, and was the second of five children born to the late Willie Lee Jennifer Mae Harris. As a natural­ born leader, Baba Kwesi was destined to have a tremendous impact on all whom he encountered.

Baba Kwesi was a decorated athlete in football and track, graduating from Chicago's Simeon High School in 1977. He returned to Simeon High School to coach football and later became the first president of the Simeon Alumni Association. He attended Central State University in Ohio, graduating in 1981 with a degree in Education and Social UTPA Work. After graduation, Baba Kwesi spent over twenty years working on the west side of Chicago at the Bobby E. Wright Comprehensive Behavioral Center, Inc. Baba Kwesi lived by the motto "do the work." The work is what he did in workshops, seminars, and training in the areas of cultural reclamation, alcohol, tobacco, drug prevention, life skills, violence prevention, and conflict resolution.

In the early 1990s, Baba Kwesi co-founded the Citywide Coalition Against Tobacco & Alcohol Billboards, which opposed ads targeting Black and Latino youth. He also served on the executive council of the National African American Tobacco Prevention Network and the National Advisory Council of the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.

2009 Baba Kwesi was appointed Director of the African American Male Resource Center at Chicago State University. Keeping it "LIVE on the NINE-FIVE", his impact on the Chicago State University community is immeasurable, and in the seven years he led the AAMRC, the university's enrollment, retention, and graduation rates among African American male students improved significantly. He brought the graduation rate of African-American men from 7% to over 25%. However, this was only possible through his understanding of mentoring and its place in healthy Black male development. Baba Kwesi co­ founded TEMBO-Teaching and Educating Men of Black Origin. Through TEMBO, his ideas of cultural knowledge, self-esteem, and group-support's roles in academic achievement were proven evident. Countless members of TEMBO and graduates of Chicago State University often come back to express their memories of counsel, encouragement, and love shared by Baba Kwesi.

Although he has transitioned, his presence is even more so felt as his spirit continues to live on in the minds and hearts of all who knew him.