The native of Saluda, NC and longtime Greenville resident is the namesake of the Bon Secours St. Francis Health System Breast Health Center. Last summer, her legacy as an educator was commemorated in a larger-than-life mural on an eight-story building downtown.

The mural at 301 College Avenue, commissioned by Charleston based real estate firm, The Beach Company, represents the power of education in molding young minds and teaching inclusivity through togetherness. 

“The idea is I’m standing over Greenville and the hundreds of thousands of people who come into Greenville every day. We hope it’s saying something to those people about diversity and about love – love for one another, love for children and love for the community,” Pearlie shared with Bon Secours in February.

Harris spent 37 years in the classroom.

“As a teacher during integration, I was that black teacher – the one parents would openly talk about. They’d say they never thought they’d have someone like me in their school, so I promised myself it was going to be one of the best years I’d ever taught just to prove a point,” Harris said.

Harris’ childhood, teaching career and partnership with Bon Secours St. Francis Health System to fight breast cancer: https://blog.bonsecours.com/news/board-chair-legacy-community-mural-greenville/

The mural: https://www.greenvillesc.gov/DocumentCenter/View/15939/Guido-van-Helten-Mural-PDF?bidId=