Sarah Elizabeth Ray facts for kids
Sarah Elizabeth Ray (also known as Lizz Haskell; 1921–2006) was an important African American civil rights activist. In 1945, she was not allowed to board the SS Columbia, a ferry run by the Bob-Lo Excursion Company. This unfair treatment led her to start a legal fight with help from the NAACP. Her case eventually reached the highest court in the country, the United States Supreme Court. The court decided in her favor, making her case a key step before the famous Brown v. Board of Education decision. After her court case, Bob-Lo Co. Vs. Michigan, she created the Action House in Detroit. This center helped Black young people in the city and gave them fun places to go.
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Early Life and Learning
Sarah Elizabeth Ray was born in 1921 in Wauhatchie, Tennessee. She grew up in a large family. When she was twenty, she got married and soon moved to Detroit. Growing up near Chattanooga, Ray saw that Black families in her community did not have enough chances for education. This made her want to help Black young people get more learning opportunities from a young age.
After moving to Detroit, Ray worked very hard to continue her own education. She went to night school, which helped her get into Wayne University (now called Wayne State University). After one year at Wayne, she worked for the Detroit Ordinance Department. This job allowed her to attend secretarial school. She finished secretarial school in 1945 from Commerce High School. She was the only Black woman in her class of 40 students.
The Bob-Lo Boat Incident
After finishing secretarial school, Sarah Ray and her friends planned a trip to Bois Blanc Island. They planned to use ferries operated by the Bob-Lo Excursion Company. Ray had already bought her ticket for the trip. However, after she got on the ferry, she was told she could not stay because of her race. The company had a rule that did not allow "colored-people" on their ferries.
At first, Ray did not want to get off the SS Columbia. But when she was told she would be forced off, she chose to leave on her own. Even though she was offered her money back for the ticket, she decided to get legal help from the NAACP instead.
The Bob-Lo Excursion Company was then charged by a court in Detroit. They were accused of unfairly treating Ray and breaking the Michigan Civil Rights Act. The court made the company pay $25. The company did not agree with this decision and appealed it. This meant the case went to the Michigan Supreme Court and then later to the United States Supreme Court. Both higher courts agreed with the first court's decision. Ray's case became very important. It helped set rules for how transportation companies could operate and made it illegal to discriminate against people using public transport.
Helping the Community
After the 1967 Detroit riot, Sarah Ray started Action House. This was a community center created because people needed to come together after the riots. Ray saw the strong feelings and tensions left by the riots. She felt it was important to create a youth center to offer fun activities and help keep peace among different races in her neighborhood.
Action House started many programs. These programs helped Black young people get advice for their education, access to food, and places to play. Ray became the director of teaching, communication, and problem-solving for Action House. She led many fundraising events to help the center keep going. Ray also cared a lot about politics. She often wrote short articles in local newspapers to bring attention to different political and social issues affecting her community.
Personal Life and Legacy
After her first marriage ended, Sarah Ray married Raphael Haskell. He was a Jewish activist. Together, they opened Action House, the community center that helped Black young people in Detroit. After marrying her husband, Ray changed her name to Elizabeth Haskell. Later, she was known simply as "Lizz Haskell" as she continued her work with Action House. She passed away at her home in 2006.
Images for kids
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SS Columbia in 1905
