Rutha Mae Harris ('70) is a lifelong resident of Albany, GA. She attended Albany State College where she obtained her bachelor’s degree in music. 

From 1961 - 1962, she joined the Albany Movement and became one of the original Freedom Singers. In her role, she traveled over 50,000 miles singing for freedom and raising funds for the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee. Along with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., she was jailed four times during the Albany, Georgia Movement.

Her professional career began in 1963 when the Freedom Singers were signed to a recording contract with Mercury Records. Rutha Mae has recorded with singers such as Whitney Houston and with the Georgia Mass Choir. She has performed in over 46 states and locations such as Carnegie Hall, the Smithsonian Institution, and the White House. 

Over the years, Rutha Mae has received various accolades and awards for her music performances, community outreach and activism. These accolades and awards include the keys to the City of Albany, GA, and the Lifetime Achievement Award from the Jones Chapel A.M.E Church of Sylvester, GA. 

For more information about the 120th Founder's Day, click here.