Eleanor Ragsdale

1926-1998

 

Eleanor Ragsdale was a civil rights activist who fought for the desegregation of schools and public facilities and the elimination of race-based housing discrimination. She was active during a time of intense change in Phoenix. Ragsdale was a founding member of the Greater Phoenix Council for Civic Unity. This integrated organization tried several methods to desegregate Phoenix schools and was successful in 1953, one year before Brown v Board of Education desegregated schools nationally. By challenging segregation and working through civil rights organizations, Ragsdale had a direct impact on social relations in the Phoenix area and helped to integrate the city and state.