Meet a Renaissance Woman. Florida Ridley –

As I have poked about in various biographical resources for these little essays, I have been pleased…and surprised to find the stories of many African Americans who have been members of UU congregations and who have worked prominently in the service of social justice long before the ‘60’s. One of these discoveries is Florida Yates Ruffin Ridley who was born in Boston on January 29, 1861, where her parents were distinguished citizens. Ridley’s father, George Ruffin, was the first African- American to graduate from Harvard Law School and the first Black judge in the United States.

The family had moved to England to raise their children in a free country, but returned during the Civil War to work against slavery. Ridley became the second African-American teacher in the Boston Public Schools. Once she married, she had to leave teaching but remained in public life, welcomed in Boston Society. She founded the Society of the Descendants of Early New England Negroes, where she combined her interest in history with her passion for social justice. She also founded and worked with the League of Women for Community Service. She and her husband were members of the Second Unitarian Church in Brookline.

Florida Ridley died in 1943. Her legacy continues with a new honor. A school was
named after her in Brookline, Massachusetts in September 2020.