Florida Ruffin Ridley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Florida Ruffin Ridley
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| Born |
Florida Yates Ruffin
January 29, 1861 Boston, Massachusetts, United States
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| Died | February 25, 1943 (aged 82) Toledo, Ohio, United States
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| Occupation | Teacher, writer |
| Known for | Civil rights activism |
| Spouse(s) |
Ulysses A. Ridley
(m. 1888; |
| Children | 2 |
| Parent(s) | Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin George Lewis Ruffin |
Florida Ruffin Ridley (born Florida Yates Ruffin; January 29, 1861 – February 25, 1943) was an amazing African-American leader. She worked hard for civil rights, which means equal rights for all people. Florida was also a suffragist, fighting for women's right to vote. She was a teacher, a writer, and an editor from Boston, Massachusetts. She was one of the first Black public school teachers in Boston. She also edited the Woman's Era, which was the first newspaper in the country made by and for African-American women.
Early Life and Education
Florida Yates Ruffin was born on January 29, 1861. She came from an important family in Boston. Her father, George Lewis Ruffin, was the first African American to graduate from Harvard Law School. He was also the first Black judge in the United States. Her mother, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, was a well-known African-American writer and civil rights leader. She also fought for women's right to vote. The family lived on Charles Street in the West End area of Boston.
Florida went to public schools in Boston. She graduated from Boston Teachers' College in 1882. She was the second African American to teach in Boston's public schools. The first was Elizabeth Smith, who taught in the 1870s. Florida taught at the Grant School from 1880 until 1888. In 1888, she married Ulysses Archibald Ridley. He owned a business in downtown Boston.
In 1896, the couple moved to Brookline, Massachusetts. They might have been the first African-American homeowners in that town. Florida helped start the Second Unitarian Church in Brookline. She and Ulysses had two children: a daughter named Constance and a son named Ulysses A. Ridley, Jr.
Fighting for Change: Activism
Florida followed her mother's example and became active in politics when she was young. She was involved in the early movement for women's right to vote. She also worked to stop lynching, which was a terrible act of violence against Black people.
Florida, her mother, and Maria Louise Baldwin started several important groups. In 1894, they founded the Woman's Era Club. This group worked to support Black women. It was later called the New Era Club.
In 1895, they started a group that later became the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs. Important speakers at their first meeting included Eliza Ann Gardner, Anna J. Cooper, and Ella Smith.
In 1918, Florida, her mother, and Maria Baldwin founded the League of Women for Community Service. This group still exists today. It helps the Black community with social, educational, and charity services. In 1923, Florida planned and led a special exhibit. It was called "Negro Achievement and Abolition Memorials." This exhibit was at the Boston Public Library and showed the achievements of Black people.
Florida was very interested in Black history. In 1890, she helped start the Society for the Collection of Negro Folklore. In the 1920s, she also founded the Society of the Descendants of Early New England Negroes.
Writing and Editing
As a writer, Florida Ridley wrote mostly about Black history and race relations in New England. She wrote for Journal of Negro History and The Boston Globe. She also published many short stories.
She was a member of the Saturday Evening Quill Club. This was a writing group started in 1925 by Eugene Gordon. Other members included Pauline Hopkins and Dorothy West. The group's yearly magazine, Saturday Evening Quill, published works by African-American women writers and artists. This included Florida, Helene Johnson, and Lois Mailou Jones.
Florida also edited the Woman's Era. This was the first newspaper in the country made by and for African-American women.
She passed away at her daughter's home in Toledo, Ohio, on February 25, 1943. Her home on Charles Street is now a stop on the Boston Women's Heritage Trail. This trail highlights important places for women's history in Boston.
Legacy
In September 2020, a school in Brookline, Massachusetts, was renamed in her honor. The Florida Ruffin Ridley School is located in Coolidge Corner.
