Benjamin S. Ruffin, Jr.

Benjamin Sylvester Ruffin (December 11, 1941 – December 7, 2006), also known as Ben Ruffin, was an African American civil rights activist, educator, and businessman in Durham, North Carolina.

Growing up during the Civil Rights Movement era, Ruffin's life experience in Durham has provided him with a black consciousness that helped him analyze and empathize with the difficulty of growing up poor and black in America. This thus motivated, shaped and developed Ruffin's role as an activist, propelling him to assume leadership positions within organizations that ensured social justice and access to opportunities for blacks in the Jim Crow South. Through cultural cohesion, Ruffin created a bridge between his world of black Durham and that of white Durham, integrating minorities to a bigger presence within the Durham community. He achieved success against difficult odds of bridging racial gaps through tackling the role of poverty, effectively bringing better housing, employment opportunities, and educational access to black citizens.

Historical context

The Civil Rights Movement was a time period that encompasses mass social protest in the United States that aimed to end racial segregation and discrimination against black Americans. This period saw a wide expanse of nonviolent protest and civil disobedience, with activities such as boycotts, marches, and sit-ins, including the Royal Ice Cream Sit-In in Durham that resulted in a court case challenging the legality of segregated facilities. Leaders of the black community, like Martin Luther King Jr. and Malcolm X, began to emerge. Ben Ruffin was a leader of the black community in Durham.

Durham was seen as more "liberal" than other Southern cities. Racial tensions and conflicts in Durham were often less severe than those in other towns, yet they still existed. Separation and segregation in public life resulted in employment in inferior facilities as well as prejudicial treatment. Many black citizens were left to find work at tobacco plants or to establish their own businesses within black neighborhoods. Barred from skilled employment, many suffered from poverty.

In addition, the city was split by a set of railroad tracks, dividing the white community and the black community. One side contained beautifully constructed houses while the other gave sight to boarded-up and dirty houses and streets. Durham segregated the people by their living situations, intentionally disallowing the mingling between whites and blacks. The city thus sustained its discrimination against their black citizens.

Durham developed a prominent Civil Rights Movement because of its substantial African-American community. The struggle for civil rights experienced by blacks was greatly impacted by racial injustice and poverty. Ruffin's experience growing up in Durham draws upon both issues, influencing his motivation to become a civil rights activist.

Early life and education

Childhood Benjamin S. "Ben" Ruffin was born in Durham, North Carolina, on December 11, 1941, to Benjamin F. Ruffin Jr. and Catherine Ruffin.

Growing up, he lived in a section of Durham called the West End, one of the several black communities in the city. West End was a "tight knit community" that shared a family-like bond. When Ruffin suffered from a strangulated hernia as an infant, his neighbor Ms. Arluna Dunn visited and prayed for his healing every day.

He graduated from Hillside High School in 1960. After graduating, Ruffin was encouraged to take tailoring classes as "no one from Durham's West End goes on to college". Ruffin worked in a shop sewing cuffs and listening to black community leaders chat about the happenings in the community as they dropped off their suits. He later earned a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. When Ruffin learned that builders were not putting adequate insulation and firewalls into houses, he went to building sites and stated, "I asked for nice homes for my people and you’re not going to just throw anything together, you’re going to come back in here and do these walls." He left a lasting impression on his townspeople as a freedom fighter and someone who dared to challenge the status quo. Continuing his advocacy for justice, Ruffin moved into governmental roles, and later corporate America, creating change from the inside.

Governmental work In 1977, Ruffin was appointed Special Assistant for Minority Affairs to former North Carolina governor Jim Hunt’s first administration. To increase employment opportunities for minorities, Ruffin pushed for the corporation to increase business with minority contractors. His work resulted in a significant growth in the number of minority employees and contracted work with minority businesses.

In 1999, Ruffin moved from a full-time position with R.J. Reynolds to an advisory relationship. With mixed emotions, he retired from his position to focus more attention on his work with the university system as part of the University of North Carolina Board of Governors. The Long Range Plan included eight interrelated strategic directions to pursue, all of which would contribute to providing better educational opportunities to North Carolinians.

Ruffin began his tenure on the Board of Governors facing challenges of educational access and equity. In receiving his chairman position, Ruffin stated, "I always believed education was the bridge to improve the quality of life. More education – more opportunity. I believed that if you acquire education, you will have more choices. Poverty equals lack of options. I grew up poor... I know what a university can do, and I know what it did for me personally." He was also a former member of the National Urban League's board of directors.

Awards and nominations Ruffin received many awards and honors during his career. Among them are eight honorary degrees from colleges and universities: the 1991 NAACP Kelly Miller Alexander Humanitarian Award, the North Carolina Kappa Man of the Year Award, Distinguished Alumni Awards from the University of North Carolina School of Social Work, the North Carolina Association of Black County Officials Frederick Douglass Leadership Award, and the National Urban League's Donald H. McGannan Citation. In addition to his many accomplishments, Ruffin was an active member of Emmanuel Baptist Church, serving as a Sunday school teacher and usher. He was married to his wife Avon for nearly 32 years, and had two daughters. He also had a brother and three sisters.