Ormond Beach author publishes book on civil rights leader

The book, titled 'Virginia's Civil Rights Hero: Curtis W. Harris Sr.,' will be published Jan. 9.

By Jarleene Almenas
| 9:00 a.m. January 3, 2023

William Paul Lazarus has published 24 other fiction and nonfiction books. Courtesy photo

Ormond Beach Observer
Your Town

Ormond Beach author William Paul Lazarus tells the story of a modest civil rights leader unexpectedly thrust into a leadership role in his newest book from Arcadia Press, "Virginia's Civil Rights Hero: Curtis W. Harris Sr."

The book is scheduled for publication on Jan. 9, and follows Harris from his impoverished days to when he found himself in the spotlight as the president of his local NAACP chapter after the 1954 Supreme Court decision that outlawed separate but equal discrimination.

"Virginia's Civil Rights Hero: Curtis W. Harris Sr." by William Paul Lazarus

"Over the next 40 years, Rev. Harris was beaten, arrested multiple times, faced off against the KKK and marched with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Harris’ efforts helped mute discrimination in Virginia, where racism was institutionalized and modeled throughout the country," a press release states. "The book explains the rise of racism in context with Harris’ struggles."

Harris later became the first Black mayor of Hopewell and an honored figure in the state. He died in 2017.

Lazarus has published 24 other fiction and nonfiction books, and holds an ABD in American Studies from Case Western Reserve University in Ohio.