Leonard Harris, Ph.D. (Philosophy, Cornell University, 1974; M.A., Philosophy, Miami University, 1970; B.A., English & Philosophy, Central State University (Wilberforce, OH), 1969), is a professor of philosophy at Purdue University where he has directed the Philosophy and Literature Ph.D. program and the African American Studies and Research Center. Previously, he taught at Morgan State University in Baltimore, Maryland, where he created and directed the Philosophy for Children Center as an affiliate of the Institute for the Advancement of Philosophy for Children at Montclair State University.

In 1999, Professor Harris received the Alain L. Locke Award from Howard University in recognition of his "pioneering efforts and outstanding contributions to research in Africana Philosophy and Alain Locke Scholarship." 2014 saw the Caribbean Philosophical Association presnet him with the Franz Fanon Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2018 he received the Herbert Schneider Award for "Distinguished contributions to the understanding of American Philosophy.”