Ruth Denny

Ruth Cousins Denny (November 1, 1920 - October 9, 2012) was a Black educator and civil rights activist in Denver, Colorado. Denny dedicated her life to combating racial injustice and educating young people. Denny was a founding member of the Denver chapter of Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and led direct actions around Denver.

Early life Denny was born on November 1, 1920, in St. Louis, Missouri to Stanard S. Cousins and Mamie Louise Carr Cousins. Her father died when she was 4 or 5 years old, and left behind five young children. Her father had been a chauffeur for the Rand family, owners of International Shoe Company, and her mother worked as domestic help and as a nanny. Denny was influenced by watching her mother face racial discrimination, and wanted to become a lawyer to fight racial injustice, however, at that time it was an impossibility.

Once in Denver, it took her 10 years to get a teaching job with Denver Public Schools (DPS). When she applied in 1952, she was told she was "too fat." She lost 80 pounds in a year and once again approached DPS. She was told she had a kidney condition that did not allow her to teach. With a clean bill of health from a doctor, she was once again denied because she was "too hairy" to teach. In 1962, she was hired as a substitute teacher and later as a permanent teacher, taught at Gilpin Elementary and Asbury Elementary for 26 years. Trailblazer Award from the Annual Martin Luther King Jr. Social Responsibility Awards (2010) Blacks in Colorado Hall of Fame Colorado Women's Hall of Fame (2022)