Atlanta, Georgia (April 25, 1942 -October 7, 1967) age 25 yrs

Ruby Doris Smith, like many young Black Americans of her generation, became convinced that change was possible. When she entered Spelman College in 1959, she was inspired by the Greensboro North Carolina lunch counter sit-in. This inspiration quickly led her to become involved in the Atlanta Student Movement. During her sophomore year, she participated in many sit-ins. She was arrested a few times after getting involved in the Atlanta Student Movement. She regularly picketed and protested with her colleagues in a bid to integrate Atlanta. Commenting on her self-confidence and leadership ability, Stokely Carmichael said, “She was confident. She believed there was nothing she could not do.” He described her as a tower of strength. In the spring of 1964, she joined a group of staffers who sat in at James Foreman’s office in Atlanta. They protested the assumption that, as women, they would invariably see to the mundane office and housekeeping tasks. Her placard read: “No More Minutes Until Freedom Comes to the Atlanta Office”.