Eric Harris

A peach gradient background with navy text has “The D-30 Disability Impact List” at the top centered above “2022 Honoree” which is in between two laurels. The words “Eric Harris he/him/his United States” is to the left of a picture of Eric, which fills the right. Eric is a Black man with dark brown skin, short hair, beard and mustache wearing a purple striped button up shirt with the top button undone and a blue blazer. At the bottom, “Diversability, #D30DisList.” fills the left corner.

Eric Harris (He/him/his)

Director of Public Policy

United States

As a black man with a physical disability, Eric worked for Congresswoman Barbara Lee and the California NAACP before coming to Disability Rights California. He is passionate about criminal justice reform and is working with diverse coalition partners to curtail the use of solitary confinement and stop our Governor's coercive CARE Court proposal targeting unhoused people experiencing schizophrenia. As the Director of Public Policy at Disability Rights California (DRC), my nominee leans into his identities as a black man with a congenital mobility disability as he spearheads DRC's cutting edge policy agenda. In recent months, he has testified in the State legislature against solitary confinement, has crafted a bill that will update civil rights protections for Californians with disabilities, & has authored an oped promoting inclusive sports He is a dynamic effective intersectional leader.

This past year, Eric worked with California Assemblymember Arambula to draft and sponsor legislation that will help California have the most comprehensive civil rights protections for people with disabilities in the US, and he helped lead efforts to pass a State law signed by Governor Newsom that eliminates subminimum wages for people with disabilities in California.