Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin (1842-1924) was born and raised in Boston by a mixed race family. Her family was religious, her father helped found a Boston Zion church. The family was also considered one of the most well off and prominent African American families in Boston. Josephine was able to get an integrated education in Salem, since Boston schools were still segregated. She married at a young age, George Ruffin, who was the son of another prominent African American family in Boston. Throughout her life, she strived to fight for equality among races and sexes. Being a woman of African descent, she saw firsthand the struggle that black women faced for being black and being a woman.

While her husband was alive, the couple fought for the rights of African Americans and even helped recruit soldiers to serve in the Massachusetts 54^th Regiment, an all African American group of soldiers fighting in the Civil War. George, was the first African American man to graduate from Harvard Law School and was Boston’s first African American municipal judge. After her husband died when she was 44, her focus shifted to fighting for the rights of women.

She first tried to join the various women’s clubs in Boston, but had problems gaining entrance into the predominantly white clubs. She did become the first African American woman to join the New England Women’s Club.  This was not enough for her though. She went on to be the founding member of different African American women’s clubs, such as The Women’s Era Club with the motto “Make the World Better.” In order to make the world better, these clubs focused on raising funds for scholarships, holding various classes, and organizing clinics. Before starting this club, Josephine began an African American women’s magazine that focused on the rights and achievements of black women. Josephine saw a better world for women of her race and sought to educate women of what they could do. 

By: Jessica McKenzie

Credits and Sources:

Massachusetts Hall of Black Achievement.  “Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin.” Bridgewater State University. Last modified 2011. Accessed September 12, 2016. http://vc.bridgew.edu/hoba/32/

National Women’s Hall of Fame. “Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin.” National Women’s Hall of Fame. Accessed September 12, 2016. https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/josephine-st-pierre-ruffin/

State House Women’s Leadership Project. “The Honorees.” Massachusetts Foundation for the Humanities. Accessed September 12, 2016. http://masshumanities.org/programs/shwlp/honorees/#ruffin