Detroit native Beverly Harris-Schenz planned to become a doctor.
But once in college, she turned her attention to education, specifically teaching German. After attending the University of Michigan, Harris-Schenz studied in Germany, then earned her master’s degree and doctorate at Stanford University.
The professor began her career in 1974 at the University of Pittsburgh; she also worked at Rice University and the University of Massachusetts. Harris-Schenz was the first Black faculty member in her department at all three universities.
Over her 38 years in education, Harris-Schenz held many positions, such as associate dean of arts and sciences and vice provost of the German department — the first Black female appointed to both at Pitt.
“I got bored,” said Harris-Schenz about her different assignments in academia.
Despite several esteemed positions, she always returned to the classroom.
“Teaching was my love always,” she said.
On Feb. 25, Monroeville Public Library patrons gathered to hear from the retired professor who, after retiring in 2012, turned her attention to a revived interest: writing creative nonfiction.
After all, writing wasn’t new to Harris-Schenz; she had written professionally most of her life. In 1981, Harris-Schenz published “Black Images in Eighteenth-Century German Literature.”
“That was the book that evolved out of my dissertation,” Harris-Schenz said. “Ironically, I came back to doing what I was doing in the beginning.”
She also wrote “Mary Martin: Black Government-Girl From Hillsboro” about her mother. The concept arose while Harris-Schenz was designing a new course.
“I wanted students to compare African American women with characters in the books,” she said.
She began by interviewing Black women over the age of 35 and eventually interviewed her mother, Mary Martin. What began as an intriguing exercise during a long bus trip turned into an 88-page story about a trailblazing young woman who moved from southern Illinois to Washington, D.C.
Harris-Schenz gave “Mary Martin” to her mother in 2017 on her 93rd birthday. The book was published in 2024, on what would have been her mother’s 100th birthday.
“She would have been delighted,” Harris-Schenz said.
Harris-Schenz’s father also played an active role in her life.
“My dad’s motto was like, ‘Life is a deck of cards, and you play with the hand you’re dealt,’ ” she said. “I didn’t complain about what I didn’t have and was grateful for what I did have.”
During the pandemic, Harris-Schenz began writing essays about her experiences as a Black woman.
“I focused on the micro inequalities,” she said. “I tried to determine, ‘Is this the hill I want to die on?’ ”
Harris-Schenz shared her stories with fellow church members via virtual sessions. She connected with 150 people and received lots of positive feedback.
Published in 2023, Harris-Schenz’s “Living While Black: My Experience With Everyday Racism” is a collection of vignettes that gives the reader a glimpse into her personal and professional life.
Each essay concludes with discussion questions meant to encourage thoughts on race and gender expectations.
“My goal is to share my experiences and talk about things that people maybe hadn’t talked about before,” Harris-Schenz said.
During her library talk, Harris-Schenz read the essays “Elevator Revelations” and “An Early-Morning Conversation,” both of which point out the dangers of making assumptions.
Harris-Schenz also read “Routine Traffic Stop in June 2017,” which is about the fear African Americans have about their interactions with law enforcement — heightened by the deaths of Sandra Bland, Philando Castile, George Floyd and many others.
“This is the story that got me started,” Harris-Schenz said.
And while her traffic stop ended without incident, the anxiety and fear Harris-Schenz experienced was still real.
“Nothing about me mattered in that moment. Not my education, not my upbringing,” she said.
After each story, the audience was invited to answer questions and share their feelings in order to get a civil conversation going.
“Each of us brings to life the way we were brought up,” she said. “There’s no right or wrong. It’s just different. You can disagree without being disagreeable.”
Harris-Schenz was the only Black woman in the German department and only the second in her doctorate program.
“It wasn’t anything I wasn’t aware of,” she said. “I had a measure of unpleasantness.”
And while Harris-Schenz experienced many microaggressions in her life, she acknowledges that they’re nothing like what some other people have experienced.
“I’ve had a charmed life. I was able to have the career I wanted,” she said. “I was fortunate to have support from my parents, who taught me resilience.”
“Living While Black” was a 2025 North Street Book Prize semifinalist. Three of Harris-Schenz’s stories have appeared in “Voices From the Attic,” which is published by Carlow University Press.
Harris-Schenz lives in Squirrel Hill with her husband, Micha. For more information about Harris-Schenz, visit beverlyharrisschenz.blogspot.com.