People
Name: Porter, Ruth
Category: African-American Experience, Human and Social Services
Born/Started: 1915
Died/Ended: 1967
Description: Ruth Porter was a founder and first executive secretary of the Greater St. Louis Committee for Freedom of Residence, a group organized in 1961 to break down housing restrictions and integrate housing in St. Louis. In 1958, she won an award from the National Conference for Christians and Jews for promoting racial understanding. She was named outstanding woman of the year in 1965 by the NAACP. Her tireless efforts to secure fair housing eventually led to the landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in the Jones vs. Mayer case, which was won by residents she helped to support.
At one time Porter was also director of the Kinloch YMCA and a leader in the West End Community Conference. The Ruth Porter Mall at Delmar Boulevard and DeBaliviere Avenue is named in her honor.
Reference
African-American Heritage of St. Louis: a Guide
Discovering African-American St. Louis
Selected Neighbors and Neighborhoods of North St. Louis
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