Ruth Ann

Ruth was born in Jackson, Mississippi. Her parents were very active in their church and always talked about school and learning, telling her, “We fought for education because knowledge was power,” and she believed them. After high school, Ruth went to Tougaloo College, where she studied English and spent many hours reading novels, poems, and speeches. College helped her see the bigger Civil Rights movement around her, and she joined other students in peaceful protests and long talks about fairness and justice. In 1960, Ruth moved to Houston, Texas, became an elementary school librarian, and stayed in that job for 30 years. She was married for 50 years, raised three children, and now has eight grandchildren. Ruth believes strongly in forgiveness; she has lived through racism, disrespect, and loss, but she will not let anger control her life. She says, “Forgiveness is strength, not surrender,” and to her, forgiving someone does not mean forgetting what happened, but choosing not to let that pain shape your future. When asked what it means to be human, she answers, “To remember where you come from and still reach out your hand to lift someone else,” and her whole life shows this, from a little girl in Mississippi, to a college student at Tougaloo, to a librarian in Houston, always using books, memories, and kindness to help others stand a little taller.