About our National Founder & President 

Shane Harris 

 

Shane Harris is a national civil rights activist, CEO of a for profit communications and public affairs firm called S Harris Communications, he is an ordained minister and founder of a national bi-coastal civil rights nonprofit organization and policy institute called the People’s Association of Justice Advocates. He is from San Diego, CA where he spent 13 years in the foster care system after losing both of his parents. He overcame the painful losses of his parents, struggles with gangs and drugs, and his time in the foster care system to become a voice for the voiceless. Now he uses both his childhood challenges and current platform to bring a voice to people often overlooked in society. Harris has been recognized with county, state and national honors for his work around policy and social activism. In 2016 Our City San Diego magazine named him among the 20 most powerful people in San Diego, in 2016 he was given a "spirit of stonewall" award by San Diego Pride for his work around Black and LGBTQ intersectionality, in 2017 he was honored as one of the Root 100's most influential African Americans in the nation and in 2022 he was named as one of the San Diego Business Journal's 40 under 40 next top business leaders in San Diego.

 

Shane Harris brings an important equity lens to the work of reimagining systems and creating new narratives in communities that have been historically marginalized and who have been underrepresented in society. He continues to deepen that work by pushing for the creation and implementation of policy changes county wide, statewide, and nationally specifically within the areas of foster care, criminal justice reform, and economic parity. Although he continues his public sector work and advocacy, Harris has now turned much of his focus toward his work in the private sector through his company S Harris Communications which represents its many small business, nonprofit and entrepreneur clients throughout San Diego and California.