Charles Elmer Harris was born in 1917 in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Central High School in Cleveland and then enlisted as a merchant marine. His tour led him to ports in North Africa, where he “discovered” his African heritage. He eventually learned French and converted to Islam. In the 1960's, he legally changed his name to Beni E. Kosh or "Son Of Ethiopia".
Kosh was a student of Cleveland artist Paul Travis at the Cleveland Institute of Art and later connected to the "Sho Nuff Art Group", a group of African-American artists, and the Karamu House artist group. Kosh scarcely ever exhibited or sold his work. It was not until the end of his life that his works were “rediscovered” and amassed recognition. Kosh's work is noted in the catalog "Yet Still, We Rise: African American Art in Cleveland 1920 - 1970" and included in exhibitions at the Cleveland State University and the Butler Institute of American Art. The artist died in 1993.