In an event held Tuesday morning at the Albion United Methodist Church, Albion Mayor Joe Domingo and City Manager Sheryl Mitchell presented Ruth Holland Scott with a key to the city in recognition of her life’s work and return to Albion.
On Tuesday, Scott will give the MLK Jr. Convocation address, titled “From Albion to America: Community, Civil Rights, Civil Wrongs, & the Dream” at 7:30 PM in the renovated Bohm Theatre. The Bohm is a salient choice of venue for the Convocation, as it is a product of the college-community collaboration that inspires the Convocation.
Scott, an Albion College alumna from the class of 1956 and a native of the city of Albion, has devoted her life to public service and improving educational opportunities for American children. After passing through the still-segregated Albion public school system, Scott graduated from Albion College and went on to serve in a variety of positions. She has been a community leader in Rochester, New York, serving on its city council and later leading that council as president. She was the first African-American woman elected to either position in Rochester. Scott founded her own consulting firm and served as its CEO, as well as spending some time as a bank administrator.
Mitchell read aloud a statement lauding Scott’s accomplishments and celebrating her homecoming.
“It is our distinct pleasure to join with Albion College and the Albion branch of the NAACP in recognizing Dr. Ruth Holland Scott,” Mitchell said. “We welcome her back to her hometown of Albion and applaud her exceptional accomplishments and ongoing efforts to keep alive the dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.”
When reflecting on her time in Albion, Scott said, “I cannot help but be thankful for all the people in Albion, as well as my parents, who were an inspiration and who constantly challenged me to do my best, who saw in me that which I could not see in myself as a child.”
When asked how it felt to be back, Scott said, “It feels like home.”
Photo by Spencer White
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