Karran Harper Royal an Education Advocate in New Orleans with Ancestral Roots in Amite, LA.

Karran Harper Royal

Karran Harper Royal works as an Education Advocate in New Orleans. She is the Assistant Director of Pyramid Community Parent Resource Center and the Training Coordinator for the New Orleans Parent Organizing Network.  Her work at Pyramid involves providing one to one support to parents of children with disabilities and conducting workshops to help parents understand their rights under federal special education law.   In addition to working with Pyramid and New Orleans Parent Organizing Network, Mrs. Harper Royal is a contributor to Research on Reforms and provides a parent voice to the work at Southern Poverty Law Center.  Mrs. Harper Royal currently serves as the Chair of the Steering Committee of the Greater Gentilly High School as well as the chair of the Gentilly Civic Improvement Association’s (GCIA)  Education Committee.  Her work on the GCIA Education Committee lead to the creation of the Greater Gentilly High School, one of five new schools to be rebuilt after Hurricane Katrina.

1870 United States Census

Karran is the great grand daughter of Shelton Harrell, Sr., of Amite, Louisiana. My grandfather Jasper Harrell, Sr., and Shelton were brothers. It was in 2000 when I first published the Harrell Family History book that I met Karran.  She read about the genealogy research that I did on our Harrell family, she purchased a copy to learn more about her Harrell family lineage. Although Karran didn't travel to Amite, Louisiana as a little girl growing up, but her paternal grandmother Marion Harrell Harper and her siblings did visit with their parents uncle Shelton and aunt Ada on the weekends.

Shelton Harrell, Sr. (Sitting)

"Cousin Marion was a city girl and the country life didn't set so well with her". She was the kind of girl that loved her makeup, long finger nails and she enjoyed dressing up. So the country life wasn't the life she wanted. Although her father Shelton Harrell, Sr., made sure that cousin Marion and her sisters and brothers visit Amite, Louisiana to visit their grandmother Emma Mead Harrell, their aunts, uncles and cousins. 

It was a pleasure meeting one of the great grand daughter of uncle Shelton. The Harrell's are proud to have Karran as a family members. Once again the offsprings of Robert Harrell, Sr., is making a difference in the lives of others. Karran will be a guest on "Nurturing Our Roots Blog Talk Radio with host Antoinette Harrell on Tuesday: January 7, at 8:00 CST. Please tune into the show tomorrow night. 

                 http://www.blogtalkradio.com/antoinette-

harrell/2014/01/08/karran-royal-improving-the-new-orleans-public-schools