Dates: 1991-2007; n.d.

Biography:

Alice Rae Varnado Harden

Alice Rae Varnado Harden was born on April 17, 1948, in Magnolia, Pike County, Mississippi, the third of nine children of John O. Varnado, Sr., and Lula Mae Robinson Varnado. She grew up largely in the Washington Addition neighborhood of Jackson, Hinds County, where she attended Isable Elementary School and Jim Hill Junior/Senior High School. She graduated from Jackson State University in Jackson in 1970 with a bachelor of science degree in health and physical education. In 1976, she received a master of science degree in health and physical education from Jackson State, and later earned teacher certification in general science as well. At the time of her death, Harden was a doctoral student in educational leadership at the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg.

Harden taught physical education and science in the Jackson Public School District for fourteen years, working at Callaway High School, Forest Hill High School, and Brinkley Junior High School. From 1984 to 1987, she served as president of the Mississippi Association of Educators (MAE), the state’s largest teachers’ organization and the Mississippi affiliate of the National Education Association. In February and March 1985, public school teachers around Mississippi participated in wildcat strikes, the first teachers’ strikes in state history, in an attempt to obtain a pay increase from the state legislature. As president of the MAE at the time, Harden was a prominent figure during the strikes, which prefigured her run for the State Senate two years later.

Harden became the first African American woman to serve in the Mississippi State Senate when she was elected as a Democrat to represent the Jackson-based 28th district in 1987. She served in the Senate until her death in the first year of her seventh term. During her tenure, she served terms as chairman of the Education Committee, Elections Committee, Enrolled Bills Committee, and Universities and Colleges Committee. She also served a term as vice-chairman of the Fees, Salaries and Administration Committee. In total, Harden served on seventeen different Senate committees during her twenty-four years in the legislature, and was the first African American chairman of the Education Committee. Her main focus as a senator was public education, especially legislation relating to teacher education, school district reform, child care reform, and higher education. In 2001, Harden ran for mayor of Jackson, receiving endorsements from the Jackson Firefighters Association and the Jackson Police Officers Association. She lost to incumbent Harvey Johnson, Jr., in the Democratic primary.

Throughout her tenure in the Senate, Harden was active in a large number of civic and political organizations on the local, state, and national levels. She served on the Democratic National Committee from 1988 to 2000.

Harden married Dennis Labert Harden on November 22, 1976. She was a longtime member of Greater St. James Missionary Baptist Church in Jackson, where she was involved in many activities. In addition to her careers in education and politics, Harden was also a real estate broker while she served in the Senate. After a long illness, Alice Varnado Harden died on December 6, 2012, at St. Dominic Hospital in Jackson. Her body lay in state at the Mississippi State Capitol on December 13, prior to her funeral and burial at Cedar Lawn Cemetery in Jackson later that day.

 

Scope and Content Note:

This collection contains certificates of honor and appreciation presented to Alice Varnado Harden during her service in the Mississippi State Senate, her appointment book from 1996, and miscellaneous printed material. Of particular interest is the appointment book, which provides an overview of Harden’s daily activities throughout the year.

 

Series Identification:

Series 1: Certificates, 1991-2007; n.d.

This series contains certificates of honor and appreciation, as well as one plaque, presented to Harden for her work in politics, civil rights, and education. Among others, there are certificates presented by the Mississippi House of Representatives and the Jackson City Council. Also included is her commission to hold office as a senator after election to her fourth term in 1999, and some biographical information.

Box 1

 

Series 2: Appointment Book and Printed Material, 1996-1997; n.d.

This series contains Harden’s appointment book for 1996 (folder 1), which she used from mid-March 1996 through January 1997. The book shows her schedule of legislative work, community meetings, speaking engagements, political gatherings, and family events. As a Democratic National Committeewoman, Harden in 1996 was heavily involved in President Bill Clinton’s re-election campaign, and this political work is reflected in her schedule alongside her more usual work as a legislator. A number of loose items from the appointment book are included as well (folder 2), as is some miscellaneous printed material (folder 3).

Box 2

 

Box List:

Box 1

Folder 1: Certificates, 1991-2007; n.d.
Plaque, 2000.

Box 2

Folder 1: Appointment book, 1996.
Folder 2: Loose materials from appointment book, 1996-1997.
Folder 3: Miscellaneous printed material, 1996; n.d.