Gloria & James Ruffins
Gloria Hearn grew up on Chicagoâs West Side, but her family frequently visited her motherâs sister on the South Side. She was there on the porch when Jim Ruffins came from next door to say hello.
Nearly every visit after that, Gloria and Jim talked about their high schools, their favorite classes, and sports. He played football. She was a cheerleader and ran track as part of the Douglas Park Junior Olympics Team.
âShe was really smart, bright, and interesting, and it was nice to be around her,â said Jim. After about a year of talking, Jim, then 16, asked Gloria for a date. Gloria wanted to say yes, but could not. âIâm not allowed to date until Iâm 16,â she told him.
Dreams Held Fast: A Timeline of Black History in the Triangle
Designed by Jon Fuller
From the nationâs first public university, built by enslaved people, to the demonstrators this summer who finally rid the Capitol grounds of its monuments to white supremacy, the history of the Triangle and its major towns and citiesâChapel Hill, Durham, and Raleighâis inextricably intertwined with the history of its Black residents.
Black history is American history, and Black History Week, established as a precursor to Black History Month by the author and historian Carter G. Woodson, was an early affirmation, and now an ongoing reminder, that Black Lives Matter.