Founder & PResident
her story
The Transformational Leadership of
The Honorable Constance Iona Slaughter-Harvey, Esq.
Our illustrious founder is not only an influential leader, community advocate, and woman upholding national civil rights and equality under the law, but she is an amazing mother, grandmother, and friend. Attorney Constance Iona Slaughter-Harvey has a special legacy of courage, commitment, and service to her community. She believes that access to education creates empowerment through service learning projects. Once access to education empowers families, the community is also empowered. Empowerment leads to healthier, more informed, well-rounded, stronger, and self-sustaining families. Empowered families create a thriving, healthy, productive, and empowered community.
Constance Iona was born in Jackson, Mississippi in 1946. Her family moved to Forest where her parents, the late Alderman Willie Lee (W.L.) and Librarian Olivia Mae Kelly (O.K.) Slaughter, were both educators. The Slaughters instilled in Constance Iona the importance of independence, that race was no barrier, and that a person’s worth is determined by the contributions they make to others and not money or materialistic things. She always gives her parents credit and states “my parents taught me that right is always right”.
Our founder knows that life is not fair, but that you can overcome any injustice if you try. Attorney Slaughter-Harvey has over 60 years of overcoming systematic injustices. These injustices were imposed upon her due to her skin color, gender, and state in which she was born. Despite the gross injustices of the American society, including Jim Crow in the South, Attorney Slaughter-Harvey knew that she had a role to play in making this world a better place than the way she found it.
Attorney Slaughter-Harvey has received over 5,000 awards and holds the numerous titles of major firsts, including the first female Student Government President at Tougaloo College, Assistant Secretary of State for the State of Mississippi for Elections and Public Lands and President of National Association of Election Directors. Additionally, she was the first African-African female to become a judge in Mississippi and to receive a law degree from the University of Mississippi’s Law School. She is a Golden Life Member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Over the years, Attorney Slaughter-Harvey remains faithful to God, does what she can do, and remains a viable part of her Scott County community of Forest, Mississippi. She wants to ensure that all children, especially in her rural and low-income community, city, county, and state, can strive for the stars and pursue their dreams. She wants all children to learn all the skills needed to survive in this society and this world. She imagines Legacy as supporting, encouraging, and creating a safe space for children, students, and parents to learn to make informed and positive life choices. These choices remind children and parents that they do have choices in life and it is solely up to them to make positive choices that empower their lives.
Legacy was officially founded on August 11, 2011, but has over 40 years experience of providing services to the communities of Scott and Newton Counties in Mississippi. The W.L. Slaughter Memorial Foundation and Library and Attorney Constance Slaughter-Harvey provided legal and educational services after the transition of Alderman W.L. Slaughter. Mrs. Olivia Mae Kelley Slaughter and her daughter, Attorney Constance Iona, continued to provide legal and educational community services in memory of Alderman Slaughter.
Mrs. Olivia Mae Kelley Slaughter transitioned in 1991 and Attorney Slaughter-Harvey and her daughter, Dr. Constance Olivia, continued to provide community services through the W.L. and O.K. Slaughter Memorial Foundation and Library. Attorney Slaughter-Harvey led, as the founder and Dr. Constance Olivia as the co-founder of Legacy Education and Community Empowerment Foundation, Inc., the expansion of new community services to include youth and student enrichment, mentoring, reading instruction and remediation, enhancement services, inter-generational programs, and other educational and empowerment programs.
Please note that her biography is extensive and may either be Googled or emailed to you upon your request at (601) 469-0990/office, (601) 900-5178/cell, or @leacef.com.
Attorney Slaughter-Harvey has a daughter, Dr. Constance Olivia (Co-Founder), a son-in-law, Rev. James II and a grandson, James III. Together they enjoy living a legacy of life, leadership, love, and literacy. Attorney Slaughter-Harvey is an African-American female. (Pronouns: she, her, hers)