Ruth Ellis | |
|---|---|
 Ellis in 1951 | |
| Born | Ruth Charlotte Ellis (1899-07-23)July 23, 1899 Springfield, Illinois, U.S. |
| Died | October 5, 2000(2000-10-05) (aged 101) Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
| Education | Springfield High School |
| Occupation(s) | Printer LGBTactivist |
| Years active | 1937–2000 |
Ruth Charlotte Ellis (July 23, 1899 – October 5, 2000) was an AmericanLGBT rights activist and the one of the oldest survivingopenlesbians at the age of 101.[1] Her life is celebrated inYvonne Welbon's documentary filmLiving With Pride: Ruth C. Ellis @ 100.[2]
Ellis was born inSpringfield, Illinois, on July 23, 1899. She was the youngest of four children and the only girl. Ellis' mother, Carrie Farro Ellis, died when she was a teen, while her father, Charles Ellis Sr., was the first African-American mail carrier in Illinois.[3][4] As a young child, Ellis witnessedSpringfield race riot of 1908.[5]
Ellis became open about her identity as alesbian around 1915, but claims to never have had to"come out", as her family was accepting of her orientation.[3][6] She graduated fromSpringfield High School in 1919, at a time when fewer than seven percent ofAfrican Americans graduated from secondary school. In the 1920s, she met the only woman she everlived with, Ceciline "Babe" Franklin.[1]
Ellis worked for a printing company in the 1920s. She learnedprinting andtypesetting while working at Black-owned print shop I.E. Foster & Co.[6]
Ellis and Franklin moved toDetroit together in 1937. Like many other African Americans in theGreat Migration, they sought better employment opportunities in the city. Like many other African American women, Ellis found a job in the domestic sphere:[7] she babysat a young boy inHighland Park, for $7 a week.[8]
She then got a printing position with Waterfield and Heath, where she worked until opening her own press out of the West Side home she shared with Franklin.[3][9] Their printing business, the Ellis & Franklin Printing Co., was the first woman-owned printing shop in the state of Michigan.[10][11]
Her hobbies includeddance,bowling,painting,piano, andphotography.[6][12]
Ellis lived with Babe Franklin mostly in the period prior to theCivil Rights Movement and the nationalGay liberation movement, during which black queer people in Detroit were often excluded from white queer spaces.[13] Ellis and Franklin's house was known in the African-American community as the "gay spot,"[14][15] a central location for gay and lesbian parties, particularly as a refuge for African-American gays and lesbians. Ellis often supported those who needed books, food, or assistance with college tuition.[3]
Ellis and Franklin were together for over 30 years before separating. In 1971, Ellis and Franklin's home in Detroit was demolished[16] in an urban renewal[17] construction project. In 1973, Franklin suffered a heart attack on her way to work and passed away (some sources state her death date was in 1975, but her grave places it at December 12, 1973).[18][9]
Ellis was hospitalized in 2000 for two weeks with heart problems, but wanted to spend her last days at home. She died in her sleep in the early morning of October 5, 2000.[19] Her ashes were spread in the following Michigan Womyn's Music Festival and in theAtlantic Ocean off the coast ofGhana.[3]
Ellis became a staple at theMichigan Womyn’s Music Festival soon after it began.[20] On her 100th birthday, she was sung "Happy Birthday" by theSan Francisco Dyke March of 1999, which she led.[3]
Ellis has been recognized in major LGBT publications across the country.[3][8][20][14] A documentary movie about her was made calledLiving With Pride: Ruth Ellis @ 100.[15] The film won several awards at film festivals.[21] In 2009, Ellis was inducted into the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame.[4] In 2013, she was inducted into theLegacy Walk, an outdoor public display which celebrates LGBT history and people.[22]
Ellis was the oldest contributor toPiece of My Heart: A Lesbian of Colour Anthology, in which she was interviewed byTerri L. Jewell.[23][24]
TheRuth Ellis Center honors the life and work of Ruth Ellis and is one of only four agencies in the United States dedicated tohomelessLGBT youth and young adults. Among their services are a drop-in center, supportive housing programs, and an integrated Health and Wellness Center that provides medical and mental health care.[1]
In 2000, Ellis assembled and donated a collection of materials from her life from around 1910-2000 to the Bentley Historical Library at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The collection, called the Ruth Ellis papers, includes photos of Ellis and her friends and family, correspondence to and from her, and a recording of a radio interview with her.[25] The collection also includes Keith Boykin's bookRespecting the Soul : Daily Reflections for Black Lesbians and Gays[26] which is dedicated to Ellis.
