BROOKLINE — Interim Superintendent James Marini is pleased to announce the Public Schools of Brookline will be hosting a virtual ceremony to celebrate the renaming of the Florida Ruffin Ridley School next week.
“Thank you to all who have worked so hard over the last few years to help make this a reality,” Superintendent Marini said. “We are proud to celebrate the official renaming of the Florida Ruffin Ridley School and honor such an important person in our community’s history. We hope you will join us for the virtual ceremony next week.”
WHEN:
Friday, Jan. 29 at 3:30 p.m.
WHERE:
The event will be streamed virtually online here by the Brookline Interactive Group (BIG).
WHAT:
The Public Schools of Brookline are pleased to celebrate the formal renaming of the Florida Ruffin Ridley School.
Community members are invited to attend the virtual ceremony to mark the official renaming of the Florida Ruffin Ridley School on Friday, Jan. 29 starting at 3:30 p.m. The event will be streamed online here by the Brookline Interactive Group (BIG).
Those closely involved with the renaming process, including school and town officials, the Bee-lievers in Change student committee, and the petitioners behind the original Town Meeting Warrant Article, will be speaking at the ceremony. Face coverings will be required, and all in-person attendees will practice social distancing at the ceremony.
Media may attend the in-person event only with prior RSVP to betsy_fitzpatrick@psbma.org. In-person attendance is limited in order to adhere to all Massachusetts regulations for outdoor events.
Ridley, whose birthday is the same day as the ceremony, was a local Black activist, suffragist, teacher, writer and editor. She was one of the first Black teachers in the state and taught at the Grant School in Boston. She and her husband, Ulysses Ridley, were longtime members of the Brookline community, living in their home on Kent Street from 1896 to the early 1920s. Both of their children attended Brookline schools and her son Ulysses A. Ridley Jr., graduated as valedictorian of Brookline High School in 1918. More information about Ridley can be found here.
Brookline residents voted at Town Meeting to rename the school following an engaging and thorough public process, after historic research revealed that Edward Devotion, the school’s former namesake, had been a slave-holder.
A recording of the event will be posted on BIG’s YouTube channel after the event.
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