ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, April 19, 1997 TAG: 9704210031
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-4 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: JOEL TURNER THE ROANOKE TIMES
The Roanoke County teacher is recognized for her efforts to promote racial and ethnic harmony.
For nearly three decades, Marylen Harmon has tried to break down racial stereotypes and promote ethnic harmony.
She has written books on the contributions of blacks, created museum exhibits, conducted workshops and participated in conferences on racial relations.
Harmon, a teacher and chairwoman of the social studies department at Northside Middle School, has become a well-known advocate of cultural diversity in the education curriculum. She has sought a greater voice for women in educational policy.
"The price of being on this earth is the service you give back to mankind," she said. "I see my efforts as a way of reaching out and giving back."
Harmon has been recognized for her work by being named the winner of the 1997 Fitz Turner Award from the Virginia Education Association. The award by the teachers' organization honors outstanding contributions in intergroup relations.
Turner was the president of the predominantly black Virginia Teachers Association when it merged with the Virginia Education Association more than 20 years ago.
Harmon serves as a consultant on minority affairs in education from the elementary to the college level, and works with local museums on cultural displays.
She has published four books: "Martin Luther King, Jr.: A Heart of Love"; "Profiles of Black Excellence"; "Contributions of Africans and African-Americans in Science and Mathematics"; and "The Infusion of African and African-American Studies in the Curriculum."
She is working on a fifth book about blacks and a documentary about American Indians.
A Wytheville native who grew up in Salem, Harmon has taught in Roanoke County for 27 years. Her father was principal of the former George Washington Carver High School in Salem and her mother was an elementary teacher.
Harmon was also cited for being active in the Sister Cities program in the Roanoke Valley and community organizations promoting equal educational opportunity for minorities and women. She also works with Local Colors, Festival in the Park, the Henry Street Festival and other community celebrations.
As a teacher, Harmon said, she uses a "hands-on approach," incorporating materials from her travels to help her students better understand other cultures.
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