Ruby Sales - Her Story
Ruby Sales, social-justice activist and veteran of the civil rights struggle, narrowly escaped death on a hot summer day in August 1965, when an enraged white racist fired a shotgun at her as she stood on a general-store porch in rural Hayneville, Alabama. But Sales, then a 16-year-old college student, was spared when 26-year-old Episcopal seminarian Jonathan Myrick Daniels pushed her aside and died in her place. The gunman was acquitted by an all-white jury.
Sales has devoted her life to the struggle for racial justice. She has been featured in many journals, books and articles; has published works in journals, newspapers and magazines, and has received many awards and honors. She is one of the founders of SAGE magazine, a scholarly journal on black women.
Founder and Director of the Spirit House Project, an intergenerational network of diverse people who work for racial and social justice. She is one of 50 African Americans to be spotlighted in the new Smithsonian National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.
Part of St. Matthews' Dimensions of Faith Series
Dimensions of Faith invites thinkers and writers to explore the interface of religion and culture, as we continue as a parish to challenge our minds and renew our spirits.
For more information and videos about the Dimensions of Faith Series go to stmatthewsepiscopallouisville.org/dimensionsoffaith/