Tatia Harris

The Greater Philadelphia Caucus of the International Caucus of Women of the African Diaspora (ICWAD) honored “African American Health Care Professionals” for the first time, at its 18th Chisholm Award Ceremony.

Tatia Harris, chief operating officer of Philadelphia-based Home Care Associates (HCA), received a 2009 Chisholm Award at the December 16 event, where former U.S. Surgeon General Dr. Joycelyn Elders gave the keynote address.

“Being nominated and receiving the Chisholm Award is an honor,” said Tatia Harris. “I accepted the honor with pride, on behalf of myself, women in my family, and all of the dedicated women at Home Care Associates, who like Shirley Chisholm are leaders in their community, trailblazers, and pillars of strength for many.”

15+ Years of Service

Founded in 1993, HCA is an employee-owned cooperative that specializes in compassionate and skilled assistance given by trustworthy aides.

“Tatia Harris has been an extraordinary presence at HCA,” said Karen Kulp, president and chief executive officer of HCA. “She truly knows the organization from the inside out, having started as a scheduling coordinator more than 15 years ago. Tatia has helped steer the organization to where it is now, providing vision, leadership, and a dedication to the mission of quality jobs equaling quality care.”

The Greater Philadelphia Caucus of the ICWAD selected health professionals for this year’s award category “to honor those unsung heroes that make extraordinary commitments and dedication to care for the sick, disabled, and elderly.”

“Tatia is simply impressive — she has been a leader at Home Care Associates essentially from its beginning, and personifies HCA’s creative, against-all-odds spirit,” said PHI President Steven Dawson. “I know of no one more deserving of an award that bears Shirley Chisholm’s name than Tatia Harris.”

The Trailblazing Shirley Chisholm

Shirley Chisholm was the first black woman to be elected to Congress, representing New York’s 12th District for seven terms from 1969–1983. Representative Chisholm was also the first major-party black candidate for U.S. president and the first woman to run for the Democratic presidential nomination.

ICWAD’s mission is to actively seek political and social justice through governmental, public, and private systems in order to address the issues of social injustice and social change.