Josephine Ruffin
| Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Born |
August 31, 1842 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Died | March 13, 1924 (aged 81) Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Occupation | Publisher, journalist, activist |
| Spouse(s) | George Lewis Ruffin (m. 1858–86) |
| Children | Hubert, Florida Ridley, Stanley, George, and Robert |
| Parent(s) | John St. Pierre and Elizabeth Matilda Menhenick |
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin (August 31, 1842 – March 13, 1924) was an African-American publisher, journalist, civil rights leader, suffragist, and editor of the Woman's Era, the first newspaper published by and for African-American women.
Ruffin was born in Boston, Massachusetts, to John St. Pierre, of French and African descent from Martinique, and Elizabeth Matilda Menhenick from Cornwall, England. Her father was a successful clothier and founder of a Boston Zion Church. She attended public schools in Charlestown and Salem, and a private school in New York City because of her parents' objections to the segregated schools in Boston. She completed her studies at the Bowdoin School (not to be confused with Bowdoin College), after segregation in Boston schools ended.
Ruffin supported women's suffrage and, in 1869, joined with Julia Ward Howe and Lucy Stone to form the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) in Boston. A group of these women, Howe and Stone also founded the New England Women's Club in 1868. Josephine Ruffin was its first bi-racial member when she joined in the mid-1890s. Ruffin also wrote for the black weekly paper, The Courant and became a member of the New England Woman's Press Association.
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