As a member of the team that created elements 104 and 105 at Lawrence Berkeley Laboratory, James Andrew Harris [1932-2000] was the first African American credited in the discovery of an element. This factoid has been posted on social media, used in a quiz game, and repeated on numerous Web sites. The story (if any context is offered at all) is often the same a narrative beginning with prejudice, which is overcome with perseverance, and a discovery as pay-off. It is a good story, and this article does not doubt its veracity. But there are questions that need asking. These questions can be basic: what role did Harris play in the discovery of these elements? Or, they can be complicated: what did Harris do before or after these discoveries? At present, there is a surprising lack of detailed information about James Harris's life and career that is easily discoverable. This article is both a call to chemistry students and educators to help uncover more of Harris's story as well as an example of how three simple guidelines can aid the discovery process.