Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin
1842–1924
Boston
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin was a Boston organizer who worked for women's rights and Black civil rights. She helped establish the Woman's Era Club and edited its newspaper, which connected Black women working for change in different communities. In 1895 she helped bring a national gathering of Black women to Boston. Their concerns included education, discrimination, voting rights, and community welfare. Ruffin challenged the idea that other people should speak for Black women. Her organizing shows how clubs, newspapers, and meetings could help people share experience and build influence together.
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Find a detail. Build an idea.
- What did this person or group do? Point to a detail in the reading.
- What unfair rule or practice did this person challenge, and how?
- What would you like to find out next? Which kind of source could help?
“Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin mattered because ___. A detail that supports my idea is ___.”
Grades 6–8: dig deeper
Why was it important for Black women to publish their own newspaper and organize their own meetings?
Follow the evidence.
This short reading is an original classroom summary. Open the source with your teacher to check details and learn more.
Read the source: National Park Service ↗Ask: Who made this source? What can it tell us? What might it leave out?