An ongoing illustrative history study
This piece originally posted 6/17/2020
"The only way we can get anyplace is by being together... Gay people have to get in there just like anybody else. We have to work. We need more businesses. Scientists, chemists, things like that. If we could get more gay people in our politics, I think it would help a lot."
Ruth Ellis is someone with whom I fell in love the moment I began reading about her. To call this lady "the real deal" is underselling it. Growing up lesbian in Springfield, IL in the early 20th century carried its own risks but she was fortunate to have a supportive family and even managed to launch her own business --an achievement almost unheard of for a black woman in those days. Decades before the Stonewall riots, she and her partner Ceciline Franklin turned their Detroit home in a gathering place where young gay and lesbian people of color (traditionally denied access to both white gay clubs AND black straight clubs) could congregate in a safe, welcoming atmosphere.
One of those rare people who got to live through THREE centuries (born in 1899 and died in 2000), Ellis's legacy lives on in the form of The Ruth Ellis Center which provides shelter and aid for LGBTQ+ youth, and in the annually-recognized Ruth Ellis Day in her beloved hometown of Detroit, every year during Black History Month.
A 1999 documentary based on her remarkable life, "Living with Pride: Ruth Ellis @ 100," is eminently findable on Amazon and a number of other streaming services. I defy you not to also fall in love with this lady and her 100% b.s.-free storytelling.
Next page - Lesson 10: Ralph Waldo Ellison