Former Customs employee will lead three-hour seminar

A woman who has written about alleged injustices performed by the U.S. Customs Service nearly a decade ago will be coming to the area to share her experience as an author, speaker and consultant.

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Cathy Harris, a 20-year Customs employee and founder of the Customs Employees Against Discrimination Association, will give a free seminar at 10 a.m. Saturday at the Belair Conference Center at 4083 S. Belair Road.

"Basically, it is four seminars all in one," said Harris, of Stone Mountain, Ga.

She'll discuss and sign her newest book, How To Take Control of Your Own Life, and provide information about how to start a business, write a book, deal with workplace issues and interact safely with law enforcement officers.

"There will be wonderful information in that three hours," she said.

Harris was terminated from Customs in 2005 for filing discrimination complaints and for exposing what she said were demoralizing and unnecessary searches by her co-workers in 1999. Since then, she has become a motivational speaker and the author of several books including Flying While Black: A Whistleblower's Story; Discrimination 101: The Complete Guide to Surviving Discrimination In the Workplace; and The Cathy Harris Story.

Through Harris' involvement with the Customs Employees Against Discrimination Association, two new laws were introduced to protect travelers - the Civil Rights for International Travelers Act and the Reasonable Search and Standards Act, and the creation of new guidelines for the Personal Search Handbook used by airport security personnel.

Seminar information packets will be available for $10 for those who would rather take information home.

For more information, call the Belair Conference Center at (706) 860-9150 or visit www.cathyharrisspeaks.com.