
Harris-Perry is the author of Barbershops, Bibles, and BET: Everyday Talk and Black Political Thought on the methods African Americans use to develop political ideas through ordinary conversations in places like barbershops, churches, and popular culture. The work won the 2005 W.E.B. DuBois Book Award from the National Conference of Black Political Scientists and the 2005 Best Book Award from the Race and Ethnic Politics Section of the American Political Science Association. Her interests include the study of African-American political thought, black religious ideas and practice, and social and clinical psychology. Harris-Perry is a member of Delta Sigma Theta sorority. In 2009, she was the key note speaker for the Unitarian Universalist Association on "Faith and Reason: Race, Justice, and American Political Life". Harris-Perry was Associate Professor of Politics and African American Studies at Princeton University from 2006 to 2010, leaving after being denied a full professorship. Currently she is Professor of Political Science at Tulane University.
She was married to Dennis Lacewell from 1999 to 2005, with whom she has a daughter. She currently lives in New Orleans and is married to James Perry, who was a 2010 candidate for mayor in New Orleans. In 2012, two days after the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Harris-Perry tweeted that the abandoned home in the 7th ward that she and her husband had bought and were restoring was destroyed during Hurricane Isaac. MSNBC announced on January 5, 2012 that Harris-Perry would host her own weekend show, which began airing on February 18, 2012 at 10 a.m. EST. The show follows Up with Steve Kornacki and leads into Weekends with Alex Witt. According to The New York Times, Perry's schedule of commuting from New Orleans to New York City for each broadcast will be similar to, but less frequent than, fellow MSNBC personality Lawrence O'Donnell's weekly commute from Los Angeles to New York City for daily broadcasts of The Last Word
She was married to Dennis Lacewell from 1999 to 2005, with whom she has a daughter. She currently lives in New Orleans and is married to James Perry, who was a 2010 candidate for mayor in New Orleans. In 2012, two days after the seventh anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, Harris-Perry tweeted that the abandoned home in the 7th ward that she and her husband had bought and were restoring was destroyed during Hurricane Isaac. MSNBC announced on January 5, 2012 that Harris-Perry would host her own weekend show, which began airing on February 18, 2012 at 10 a.m. EST. The show follows Up with Steve Kornacki and leads into Weekends with Alex Witt. According to The New York Times, Perry's schedule of commuting from New Orleans to New York City for each broadcast will be similar to, but less frequent than, fellow MSNBC personality Lawrence O'Donnell's weekly commute from Los Angeles to New York City for daily broadcasts of The Last Word
![]() Feb 12, 2012: In a New York Times article about Melissa Harris-Perry, author Brian Stelter wrote: "At MSNBC, “Morning Joe” with Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski has become must-see television for politicians and journalists, while Ms. Maddow, a Rhodes scholar, has been lauded for her long, carefully argued essays. Recently, the channel has added several shows with similarities to those two, including “Now With Alex Wagner” at noon on weekdays and “Up w/ Chris Hayes” on the weekends. Ms. Harris-Perry’s show is set to start on Saturday morning and run from 10 to noon................The newest hosts at MSNBC, Mr. Hayes and Ms. Harris-Perry, like to say they are Harry Potter and Hermione. Both were groomed by Ms. Maddow and her 9 p.m. program, first as unpaid guests, then as paid contributors and finally as substitute hosts. "
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"MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry is doubling down on her anti-American promos. I guess MSNBC stands for More Stupid Communist Nanny Bimbos now." --Warner Todd Huston |

Aug 5, 2013: MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry seems to be "Chris Matthews: Separated at Birth" based on the things shes says and does on her TV show. Last month she wore Tampon Earrings, then a few days ago she said, on the subject of abortion, that a child is considered a life "when the parents say." Now she has compared the Cleveland home of kidnapper Ariel Castro to colleges ("where victims' concerns go unaddressed and perpetrators go unpunished") and the military ("where an epidemic of sexual assault is met with an unwillingness to protect soldiers who have been victimized"). Good greif. What planet is Harris-Perry and Chris Matthews from??

Dec 3, 2013: Philosophically and politically I cannot really think of anything that I have ever agreed with MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry. I did see the segment that has become a point of controversy involving the picture of the Romney family and I cannot say I was offended so deeply in my soul that I thought she should be fired. After coming under fire, she tweeted an apology but also wrote on her MSNBC blog: "Whatever the intent, the segment proceeded in an unexpected way that was offensive," she wrote. "Without reservation or qualification, I apologize to the Romney family and to all families built on loving transracial adoptions." Having seen the segment I really dont think anything said was necessarily meant to be malicious. If I am really bothered about anything with this it with some of the after math where I have read stupid comments like that of Sarah Jones at Politicus USA who writes "Republicans Attacks On Melissa Harris-Perry Can’t Hide Their Racist Agenda" and "Melissa doesn’t get to say these things just because she’s black. This special privilege of black people has to end, according to Fox News and the GOP." If I had to choose between Jones or Harris-Perry being fired my vote would be Jones in a heartbeat. I abhor the misuse of the word "racist" by any pundit or pencil pusher. As for Melissa Harris-Perry, she apologized. Now let's move on.

Jan 5, 2014: Today Mitt Romney told Chris Wallace on FOX News Sunday that he accepted Melissa Harris Perry’s apology. Many of those who disliked Harris-Perry before will still keep pushing the issue I presume. But all those that were involved are already passed it.

Jan 7, 2014: Glenn Beck came to the defense of MSNBC's Melissa Harris-Perry. After watching the video of her apology, Beck said: “She apologizes — for what? It was a break with comedians. Yes, it wasn’t nice. Yes, it was hurtful and divisive if that was the intent, but it clearly was not. There are many dishonest, arrogant, and destructive people on MSNBC, but I really don’t think that this, by any means, was an example of a person like that.” He added: “She needs to know that there are people who do not hate her, and do have reason. If this is her big screwup, she’s way ahead of me as a human being.” As I have stated several times before, I agree.