Ruby Duncan Elementary School staff and students recently celebrated their namesake with a “Ruby Duncan Day,” showering Duncan with gratitude for her enduring advocacy that has had a monumental impact on Nevada.
-
Duncan has been a leader in the fight to ensure mothers can provide their children with healthy meals.
The big picture: Duncan came to national prominence during the 1970s, which included organizing a march of thousands of protestors down the Strip in 1971, bringing attention to welfare rights and the inequities Black mothers faced in receiving government assistance.
-
Duncan later was a founder of Operation Life, which was instrumental in bringing a library, health clinic, and jobs program to the Historic Westside.
Noteworthy: When asked what advice she would give students, Duncan said, “You have your own conscience, but let it be a good one, a sweet one to everyone. Love your people and your country as you would love to be loved and taught.”
What they’re saying: Principal Sarah Payne said her school, known as the “Home of the Dreamkeepers,” shares with students that they are never too small to make a difference.
“It only takes one person to believe in something and to start a movement to help others,” Payne said. “So never feel like something is a problem that can’t be fixed. The students can be change agents, just like Ruby Duncan.”
In 2008, the National Association of Secretaries of State honored Duncan with the prestigious Margaret Chase Smith Democracy Award, recognizing individual acts of political courage, uncommon character, and selfless action in public service.
-
Duncan is in extraordinary company. Past honorees of the annual award, first established in 1992, include civil rights icon Rosa Parks, former President Jimmy Carter, and ex-Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor.
