Ruth Clement Bond facts for kids

Ruth Clement Bond (May 22, 1904 – October 24, 2005) was an amazing African-American woman who was an educator, a community leader, and an artist. She taught at universities in countries like Haiti, Liberia, and Malawi. As a leader, she worked to help women and children in many places, including the USA and several African countries.

Ruth was also famous for her art, especially her quilts. She took everyday quilts and turned them into special artworks that shared important messages about society. Three of these unique quilts from the 1930s are still around today. They have been shown in museums like the Museum of Arts and Design in New York.

Early Life and Family

Ruth Elizabeth Clement was born in Louisville, Kentucky, on May 22, 1904. Her father, George Clinton Clement, was a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. Her mother was Emma Clarissa Williams Clement. Ruth was one of seven children in her family.

In 1931, Ruth married Dr. J. Max Bond Sr. They had three children together:

• Jane Bond Howard, who became a historian.
• J. Max Bond Jr., who became an architect.
• George Clement Bond, who became an anthropologist.

Their nephew was Julian Bond, a famous leader who helped start the SNCC.

After they got married, the Bonds moved to Los Angeles. By 1934, they were living and working in rural Alabama. Later, in 1944, Ruth's husband joined the Foreign Service. This meant they traveled to many different countries, especially in Africa or places with strong African connections.

Education and Teaching

Ruth Bond went to Livingstone College, where both her parents had studied. She earned both her bachelor's and master's degrees in English from Northwestern University.

Ruth started a program to get her doctorate degree in Los Angeles. However, she stopped after her first child was born. She planned to finish her studies when the family moved to rural Alabama, but there were no universities nearby.

From 1930 to 1932, Ruth was the head of the English department at Kentucky State University. During her career, she also taught at universities in Haiti, Liberia, and Malawi. When she lived in Alabama, she helped families who used to be sharecroppers. She taught them about home economics and how to improve their homes.

Artistic Achievements: The TVA Quilts

Ruth Bond's most famous artistic work was a series of quilts she designed in the 1930s. From 1934 to 1938, her husband, J. Max Bond Sr., worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA). This was a government program that built dams and brought electricity to many areas.

During this time, Ruth worked on a project to help decorate the homes of Black construction workers. These workers were building the Wheeler Dam in Alabama. Ruth designed amazing patterns for art quilts. The wives of the workers then made these quilts.

Even though this was her only time designing quilts, her modern patterns were very special. They helped change quilt design from just being practical to being a true art form. She didn't use the usual flower or geometric patterns. Instead, she showed shapes of Black workers. Her style was "jagged yet elegant," similar to the paper cutouts by Henri Matisse or the paintings by Aaron Douglas.

The first quilt was called "Black Power." Ruth explained it: "That was a pun, of course, TVA being about power. The first quilt showed a bolt of lightning signifying power, held in the hand of a black worker."

Ruth and the group of women quilters made six quilts in total, known as the "T.V.A. quilts." Three of them still exist today. They have been shown in important places like the Museum of Arts and Design and the Michigan State University Museum.

Global Travels and Later Life

In 1944, Max Bond got a job with the United States Department of State. This meant the Bonds traveled to many countries. They went to Haiti, where Ruth taught at L'Ecole Normale de Martissant. In 1950, they moved to Liberia. There, Max became the president of the University of Liberia, and Ruth led the University's English department. In the 1950s and early 1960s, they also lived in Afghanistan, Tunisia, Sierra Leone, and Nyasaland.

After Max retired in 1966, the Bonds returned to the United States. They settled in Washington, D.C.. Both of them became very involved in community work there. In the 1960s, Ruth was the president of the African-American Women's Association. In 1978, she joined a special trip to study the role of women in Senegal, Togo, and the Ivory Coast.

Both Ruth and Max were involved with the Africa-America Institute. This organization was started by Max's brother, Horace Mann Bond. In Washington, D.C., Ruth was on the boards of the Boys and Girls Club of Washington, the YMCA, and the Red Cross. She was also an active member of the Foreign Service Women's Association.

Ruth Clement Bond passed away on October 24, 2005, at the age of 101.