Basil Smikle and his wife Marjorie Fields Harris married in May 2021. Marjorie is a Leader Chief of the social liberty organization.
The pair enjoyed a blissful married life for several years and later got divorced. Although Basil and Marjorie first met at a professional meeting in January 2000, they felt instant chemistry that they couldn’t resist.
They met during Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s senatorial campaign. Basil and Marjorie spoke briefly at the meeting and several times on the phone. There was an instant connection as they talked and came closer and closer.
A friend of Smikle, Terrance Tolbert, said, “Politics and campaign brought them together.” Basil is a Distinguished Lecturer and Director of the Roosevelt House Public Policy Institute’s Public Policy Program at Hunter College.
He is also a Teachers College and Columbia University professor in the School of International and Public Affairs. Basil has gained over 15 years of experience in higher education and over 25 years of a career dedicated to public service.
Basil regularly shares insights on governance, public policy, and electoral politics on national media outlets such as CNN and MSNBC. He holds a Ph.D. in Education and Politics and an MPA from Columbia University. He earned a Bachelor of Science from Cornell University.
Meet Basil Smikle Wife Marjorie Fields Harris
Basil Smikle and his wife Marjorie Fields Harris are both involved in politics. Marjorie is an intrepid communications force multiplier.
At the beginning of their relationship, the pair made a pact to limit political discussions. She is a seasonal political strategist known for non-profit leadership and community uplift. Besides, she is also a skillful editor, writer, and cultural change advocate.
She specializes in managing campaigns and issues advocacy. Moreover, Marjorie is a Politico with Capitol Hill and has municipal government staffing experience. She has worked on award-winning broadcast productions as a co-producer and writer.
Currently, Marjorie is the President and CEO of Seven Fields Communications. She is the executive lead on projects requiring strategic and crisis communications, government relations, and reputation management.
She has directed and implemented MoCaFi’s public relations strategies as Director of Public Relations and Government Affairs. From March 2015 to July 2018, Marjorie served as a Press Secretary for the City of Newark in Newark, New Jersey.
From June 2012 and March 2015, she served as the President of Marjorie Fields Harris & Associates, a strategic communications firm specializing in brand marketing, campaign management, public relations, and crisis communications direction.
She was also the 1st Vice Chair of the Wake County Democratic Party from April 2013 to April 2014. Marjorie ran Fields-Harris Group, a political consulting group, as a Principal from 2000 to 2010.
Marjorie attended The Columbus School of Law of the Catholic University of America and obtained her Doctor of Law -JD. She earned her B.A. in Journalism from Howard University. In 1994, she completed a course at Tulane University Law School.
Basil Smikle And Marjorie Fields Harris Relationship Timeline
Brought together by politics and campaigns, Basil Smikle and Marjorie Harris tied the knot the following year they met.
The pair got engaged less than two months after their first date. After a year and a half, they finally decided to tie the knot on May 26, 2001. Marjorie is a long-standing supporter of Hillary Rodham Clinton and was a special guest at their wedding.
Basil and Marjorie First Met In 2000
It was during Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton’s senatorial campaign when the pair first met. Basil was a volunteer on the candidate’s advance team and attended the meeting at Mr. Sharpton’s Harlem headquarter.
Both talked briefly at the meeting, and Smikle could sense their smiles getting bigger and bigger as they continued to talk on the phone. Because it was a business situation, he was reluctant to move. “I was smitten,” he said.
Marjorie was also reluctant as she refused to ask if he was married. After the event, Basil called her again, and she was hoping he would ask her out. However, he was strictly professional, and she thought she would never hear from him again.
Weeks later, when Smikle was sitting in the lobby of a building, waiting for the Secret Service, he saw Harris standing outside the window. He rushed outside to greet her and said, “This is fate, you know. Now we have to get together.”
First Date Filled With Dance And Laughter
After the second encounter, both went on their first date. Basil made a shrimp toast appetizer, hollandaise sauce, salmon fillet, and asparagus at his Harlem apartment. It was an incredible moment; they danced, laughed, and listened to jazz.
Basil proposed to her less than two months in March, and the couple got engaged. Although both were involved in politics, they made a deal to limit political discussions. They enjoyed their time having fun and concentrated on personal matters.
Lavish Wedding on May 26, 2001
Basil and Marjorie walked down the aisle after being engaged for a year and a half. They tied the knot at St. George Episcopal Church on Stuyvesant Square in Manhattan. The reception was held at the National Arts Club in Gramercy Park.
The menu combined Jamaican and American dishes, reflecting their backgrounds. Moreover, the heavy African-American and Caribbean songs added more spark to their big day.
However, their wedding was not free of politics, and the guest list included politicians like Hilary Clinton and David Dinkins. Following the grand wedding ceremony, the guests enjoyed further celebrations at the reception at the National Arts Club.
Caribbean Honeymoon Trip
Soon after the wedding, the newlyweds left for their Caribbean honeymoon on Memorial Day. Before leaving for an exciting honeymoon, Marjorie said there would be no other interruptions.
Before departing, the bride said with a smile, “I’ll leave my cell phone in Miami.” However, Basil and Marjorie became isolated after a few years and divorced.