March 21, 1924 - December 4, 2022
Miami, Florida - On Sunday, December 4th, 2022, our beloved Harriet, passed away at age 98.
Harriet was born in Boston, MA on March 21, 1924, to Bella and Frederick Phillips. Bella was a refugee of the Russian Revolution, and a staunch and active Zionist. Frederick was a Polish immigrant and grain broker who helped mitigate bread shortages during the Great Depression.
As a teenager, Harriet was a devoted member of Hashomer Hatzair, an International Zionist youth movement dedicated to the establishment of what would be the future state of Israel. She later started attending university, working in the factories as part of the WWII effort, and writing for the Boston Globe. At the same time, she was an active member of CORE (Congress of Racial Equality), an interracial group of students in Chicago that pioneered the use of nonviolent direct action in America's civil rights struggle. Posing as part of an interracial couple, Harriet was personally responsible for forcing many Chicago restaurants and businesses to comply with newly formed integration laws.
Harriet first married in her early 20's and had her son, Keith. She spent several years as a divorcee and single working mother of a mentally-ill son during the 1950's, a time of few resources for such women. This first-hand experience gave her a special perspective on socio-economic challenges that she carried for life.
She later moved to attend university in Chicago, where she met Jack Lefley at a gathering of Trotskyists. In 1951, they were married, and Jack adopted Keith. Jack supported Harriet while she went to Roosevelt University to complete a BA in Psychology (1964) and MA in Clinical Psychology (1967). While going to school she had their daughter, Carla (1965), who accompanied her by sled while she traveled around Chicago conducting her master's thesis research.
After a couple of years, the family moved to the Bahamas, where both Jack and Harriet worked for the Government of Bahamas, he as a consultant City Planner and she as Resident Social Research Consultant in the Ministry of Labour & Welfare. Harriet was Co-Director of the first Bahama Islands Manpower Survey.
In 1969, Miami became the family's new home. Harriet continued to consult for the Bahamas while raising her daughter and later began her doctoral studies at the University of Miami. For her dissertation she conducted research and published on the effects of a cultural heritage program on the self-concept of Miccosukee children. In 1973 she received her Ph.D. in Personality-Social Psychology with a specialty in Cross-Cultural and Ethnopsychology.
After earning her Ph.D., Harriet went on to become a highly distinguished pioneer in the fields of cross-cultural mental health care and advocacy for the mentally ill.
Dr. Lefley was Professor Emerita with the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences in the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, was Principle (or Co-) Investigator and grant-writer for countless studies and research projects, served on many national advisory boards (including the DSM-IV) and blue-ribbon panels, and received numerous awards from nationally and internationally distinguished organizations.
She served as Director of the UM Jackson Memorial Medical Center Community Mental Health Services, later known as New Horizons Community Mental Health Center, the first to provide culturally sensitive and accessible services to its multiethnic catchment area and to ensure that impoverished communities receive access to behavioral health resources.
As founder of NAMI (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill) of Florida and Miami, the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness, she became a highly in-demand keynote speaker at conferences world-wide.
Dr. Lefley was a prolific and highly cited author. Her publications include ten books and over 100 articles and book chapters on cultural issues in mental health service delivery, community mental health models, advocacy and support systems for persons with severe mental illness and their families.
These are but a fraction of Harriet's accomplishments and contributions to society. It is certain she left the world a better place because of them, but her legacy is not limited to them. The love she gave her family, friends, and colleagues live on. Her generosity will be paid forward. The ideals she impressed upon us have made us better people.
We will remember her curiosity about the world, fascination with people, and ability to make them feel heard. We will never forget her Boston accent, warm smile, humor, and stories. We will miss her dearly.
Harriet is predeceased by her parents Frederick and Bella, loving husband of 61 years Jack, son Keith and brother Herbert. She is survived by her daughter Carla, daughter-in-law Wendy, grandchildren Roan and Kayleigh, sisters- and brother-in-law Barbara, Doris and Bob, nieces and nephews Kathy, Betsy, Jon, Heather, Claire, Josh, Janet, and cousin Joyce.
A funeral service for her will be held Sunday, December 18, 2022, at 2:00 PM at Riverside Gordon Memorial Chapels at Mount Nebo (Kendall), 5900 SW 77th Ave, Miami, FL 33143, followed by a reception.
Memorial information and memories page:
https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/miami-fl/harriet-lefley-11044121
To attend the memorial via Zoom:
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86377366709?pwd=Ykp1R0R0aUgySUpFM3B5ZzRkb3M4UT09
Meeting ID: 863 7736 6709
Passcode: 805577
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