Lake View East in Chicago in Cook County, Illinois — The American Midwest (Great Lakes)

Ruth Ellis

The Legacy Walk

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021

1. Ruth Ellis Marker

Inscription.

Ruth Ellis. The Legacy Walk. Ruth Ellis Businesswoman and Senior Lesbian Activist (1899 - 2000) . Ruth Ellis was born in Springfield, Illinois to parents who were conceived in the last years of slavery. Her life spanned through moments of great turmoil and upheaval – from the Springfield Riot of 1908 to the Detroit Riots of 1967 – an endless backdrop of conflict from which Ellis managed to extract an exuberance for life that was incandescent. She came out as a lesbian at the age of 16, and got a high school diploma at a time when fewer than seven percent of African Americans graduated from secondary school. In 1936 she met her partner of 34 years, Ceciline "Babe" Franklin, with whom she moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1937. Ellis became the first African American woman to own an off-set printing business in that city. Her success as an entrepreneur from 1946 to 1971 inspired the couple to turn the home they shared into the “Gay Spot” – a place where young gays and lesbians, who were denied access to both white gay clubs and black straight clubs – could congregate and enjoy a welcoming night club atmosphere decades before the Black Civil Rights Movement and the Stonewall Riot would begin to alter their outlook and options. Ellis became a fierce advocate for African Americans, senior citizens, and the gay and lesbian communities. She offered assistance to lesbians of color researching their history and their roots; she proposed a variation on Big Brothers/Big Sisters, where younger gays and lesbians would be matched as social companions with gay and lesbian seniors according to similar interests; and the Ruth Ellis Center, founded in 1999, continues to provide shelter and aid for GLBTQ youth in Detroit. Her extraordinary life was chronicled in the acclaimed documentary Living With Pride: Ruth Ellis @ 100 (1999) and the city of Detroit recognizes her contributions every February, during Black History Month, by celebrating Ruth Ellis Day. She died in her sleep at her home on October 5, 2000, at the age of 101.

Ruth Ellis
Businesswoman and Senior Lesbian Activist
(1899 - 2000)

Ruth Ellis was born in Springfield, Illinois to parents who were conceived in the last years of slavery. Her life spanned through moments of great turmoil and upheaval – from the Springfield Riot of 1908 to the Detroit Riots of 1967 – an endless backdrop of conflict from which Ellis managed to extract an exuberance for life that was incandescent. She came out as a lesbian at the age of 16, and got a high school diploma at a time when fewer than seven percent of African Americans graduated from secondary school. In 1936 she met her partner of 34 years, Ceciline "Babe" Franklin, with whom she moved to Detroit, Michigan in 1937. Ellis became the first African American woman to own an off-set printing business in that city. Her success as an entrepreneur from 1946 to 1971 inspired the couple to turn the home they shared into the “Gay Spot” – a place where young gays and lesbians, who were denied access to both white gay clubs and black straight clubs – could congregate and enjoy a welcoming night club atmosphere decades before the Black Civil Rights Movement and the Stonewall Riot would begin to alter their outlook and options. Ellis became a fierce advocate for African Americans, senior citizens, and the gay and lesbian communities.

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She offered assistance to lesbians of color researching their history and their roots; she proposed a variation on Big Brothers/Big Sisters, where younger gays and lesbians would be matched as social companions with gay and lesbian seniors according to similar interests; and the Ruth Ellis Center, founded in 1999, continues to provide shelter and aid for GLBTQ youth in Detroit. Her extraordinary life was chronicled in the acclaimed documentary Living With Pride: Ruth Ellis @ 100 (1999) and the city of Detroit recognizes her contributions every February, during Black History Month, by celebrating Ruth Ellis Day. She died in her sleep at her home on October 5, 2000, at the age of 101.

Erected 2013 by The Legacy Project.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: African Americans • Civil Rights • Industry & Commerce • Women. In addition, it is included in the The Legacy Walk series list. A significant historical date for this entry is October 5, 2000.

Location. 41° 56.802′ N, 87° 38.963′ W. Marker is in Chicago, Illinois, in Cook County. It is in Lake View East. Marker is on North Halsted Street, on the right when traveling north. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3541 North Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60657, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this

Ruth Ellis Marker - wide view image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Andrew Ruppenstein, August 26, 2021

2. Ruth Ellis Marker - wide view

The Ellis marker is visible here, mounted to a rainbow pylon that it shares with the marker for Alvin Ailey.

marker. Alvin Ailey (here, next to this marker); Frida Kahlo (a few steps from this marker); Fr. Mychal Judge (a few steps from this marker); American Veterans for Equal Rights Military Memorial (about 300 feet away, measured in a direct line); Dr. Tom Waddell (about 300 feet away); Barbara Jordan (about 300 feet away); Two Spirit (about 400 feet away); Lorraine Hansberry (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Chicago.

Also see . . .
1. Ruth Ellis (Activist) (Wikipedia).

"Ruth Charlotte Ellis (July 23, 1899 – October 5, 2000) was an African-American woman who became widely known as the oldest surviving open lesbian, and LGBT rights activist at the age of 101, her life being celebrated in Yvonne Welbon's documentary film Living With Pride: Ruth C. Ellis @ 100."

(Submitted on September 29, 2021.)

2. Living With Pride: Ruth Ellis @ 100 trailer (YouTube, 3 min.). (Submitted on September 29, 2021.)
3. Kappa Theta Epsilon salutes Ruth Ellis: Black Lesbians in History (YouTube, 3 min.). (Submitted on September 29, 2021.)

Additional keywords. lgbt lgbtq

Marker inset: Ruth Ellis image. Click for full size.

3. Marker inset: Ruth Ellis

<i>Studio portrait of Ruth Ellis</i> image. Click for full size.

courtesy of the Bentley Historical Library, University of Michigan under CC 4.0 license, 1952

4. Studio portrait of Ruth Ellis

Credits. This page was last revised on January 30, 2023. It was originally submitted on September 29, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California. This page has been viewed 367 times since then and 89 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 29, 2021, by Andrew Ruppenstein of Lamorinda, California.