Black History in Brookline: Spotlight on Florida Ruffin Ridley and Roland Hayes

All Current Exhibits  January 30, 2024

This month Hidden Brookline and the Brookline Office of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Community Relations invite you to learn more about two Black trailblazers who lived in Brookline and had a national impact. (Hayes’ impact extended to Europe.)

Two Brookline schools now proudly carry the names Florida Ruffin Ridley and Roland Hayes. Before, the names of both schools (Devotion and Heath) were directly linked to enslavers.

The Roland Hayes Display showcases a special exhibit created by the Young Scholars, an affinity group for Black & Latine students in grades 2-8, at the newly re-named Roland Hayes School. You will find the youths’ work in the display case as well as on several large format posters in the Library.