Ruth Logan Roberts (1891 – 1968) was a suffragist, activist, YWCA leader, and host of a salon in Harlem, New York City.

Ruth Logan Roberts
Born1891 (1891)
Died1968 (aged 76–77)
NationalityAmerican
Known forsuffragist,
YWCA leader
SpouseEugene Percy Roberts

Early life edit

Ruth Logan Roberts was born in 1891 as the daughter of suffragist Adella Hunt Logan.[1] Roberts studied physical therapy at Boston's Sargent School of Physical Education, graduating in 1911.[2] Roberts later served a physical educator for the Tuskegee Institute.[1] In 1917, she married the physician Eugene Percy Roberts, and the couple moved to New York City.[1][3]

Activism edit

Ruth Logan Roberts began her work as a suffragist around 1913 in Tuskegee.[1] She continued her activism after her move to New York City, notably serving on a number of boards and actively advocating for women's suffrage and against racial discrimination.

Roberts was a member of the boards of directors of national and local YWCA as well as board of the Katy Ferguson Home for Unmarried Mothers.[4] She also served on the New York State Board of Social Welfare.[5]

While at the YWCA, Roberts helped organize women in the sale of war bonds through the Liberty Loan program.[5]

She also served on the New York State Board of Social Welfare, a position that she was appointed to by Governor Thomas E. Dewey.[1] Her health education led her to serve on the boards of New York Tuberculosis and Health Association and the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses.[1]

Salon edit

Roberts hosted a regular salon at her home at 130 West 130th Street in Harlem, New York City, that brought together major figures active in Harlem at the time in politics, community service, and the arts.[4]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ a b c d e f Alexander, Adele Logan. "Roberts, Ruth Logan". Religion and Community. Facts On File, 1997. African-American History Online. Retrieved February 6, 2016. Sourced from Hine, Darlene Clark; Thompson, Kathleen, eds. (1997). Facts on File encyclopedia of Black women in America. New York, NY: Facts on File. ISBN 9780816034246. OCLC 906768602.
  2. ^ Spruill, Marjorie Julian (1995). Votes for women! : The Woman Suffrage Movement in Tennessee, the South, and the Nation. Knoxville, TN, US: University of Tennessee Press. ISBN 9780870498367. OCLC 31755740.
  3. ^ Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. Tau Omega Chapter (New York, N.Y.) (2014). "Ruth Logan Roberts". The Legacy of the Pacesetters of Tau Omega Chapter, Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc: A History of Timeless Service to the Harlem Community and Beyond. Bloomington, IN, US: AuthorHouse. ISBN 9781491847084. OCLC 869905495. Retrieved February 6, 2016.
  4. ^ a b Manning, Susan (2004). Modern Dance, Negro Dance: Race in Motion. Minneapolis, MN, US: University of Minnesota Press. p. 37. ISBN 9780816637362. OCLC 878594217. Ruth Logan Roberts.
  5. ^ a b Weisenfeld, Judith (1997). African American Women and Christian Activism: New York's Black YWCA, 1905-1945. Harvard University Press. p. 100. ISBN 9780674007789. ruth logan roberts ywca harlem.