Fred Harris is a civil rights activist turned Democratic United States Senator for Oklahoma, where he served from 1964 to 1973. Following his service, he became a professor of political science at the University of New Mexico. He has written 19 nonfiction books and three novels, and as the last surviving member of the landmark Kerner Commission, he most recently edited Healing our Divided Society: 50 Years After the Kerner Report. As professor emeritus at UNM, he continues to direct the UNM Fred Harris Congressional Internship program.