Ramona Ripston

Last updated
Ramona Ripston
Executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California
In office
1972–2011
Succeeded byHector O. Villagra
Personal details
Born(1927-02-18)February 18, 1927
Queens, New York, U.S.
DiedNovember 3, 2018(2018-11-03) (aged 91)
Los Angeles, California, U.S.

Ramona Ann Ripston (February 18, 1927 – November 3, 2018) served as the executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California (ACLU SoCal) between 1972 and 2011. [1] [2] In her 38 years at the helm of the ACLU SoCal, Ripston had helped bring about substantial reforms in the region. [3] [4]

Contents

Early life

Ripston was born on February 18, 1927, in Queens, New York. Her parents were William and Elsie (née  Fleischman). In 1948, she graduated from Hunter College with a degree in political science. [5]

Queens Borough in New York City and county in New York, United States

Queens is the easternmost of the five boroughs of New York City. It is the largest borough geographically and is adjacent to the borough of Brooklyn at the southwestern end of Long Island. To its east is Nassau County. Queens also shares water borders with the boroughs of Manhattan and the Bronx. Coterminous with Queens County since 1899, the borough of Queens is the second largest in population, with an estimated 2,358,582 residents in 2017, approximately 48% of them foreign-born. Queens County also is the second most populous county in the U.S. state of New York, behind Brooklyn, which is coterminous with Kings County. Queens is the fourth most densely populated county among New York City's boroughs, as well as in the United States. If each of New York City's boroughs were an independent city, Queens would be the nation's fourth most populous, after Los Angeles, Chicago, and Brooklyn. Queens is the most ethnically diverse urban area in the world.

New York (state) State of the United States of America

New York is a state in the Northeastern United States. New York was one of the original thirteen colonies that formed the United States. With an estimated 19.54 million residents in 2018, it is the fourth most populous state. In order to distinguish the state from the city with the same name, it is sometimes referred to as New York State.

Hunter College university

Hunter College is one of the constituent colleges of the City University of New York, an American public university. It is located in the Lenox Hill neighborhood of the Upper East Side of Manhattan, New York City. The college offers studies in more than one hundred undergraduate and postgraduate fields across five schools. It also administers Hunter College High School and Hunter College Elementary School.

Career

Ripston became director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California in 1972. [6] She became "the first woman — and one of the few non-lawyers — to head an A.C.L.U. affiliate." [5]

At the beginning of her tenure, the ACLU SoCal had six employees and an all-male board of directors. Ripston began to grow the organization and diversify the board; she appointed more women, people of color and members of the LGBT community. By the time she retired from her position in 2011, the ACLU SoCal had 50 employees in two offices. [5]

Personal life

Ripston was married five times. She was the widow of federal judge Stephen Reinhardt at the time of her death in Marina del Rey, California, on November 3, 2018. [5] [6]

Stephen Reinhardt American judge

Stephen Roy Reinhardt was a United States Circuit Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, with chambers in Los Angeles, California. He was the last federal appeals court judge in active service to have been appointed by President Jimmy Carter.

Marina del Rey, California Census-designated place in California, United States

Marina del Rey is an unincorporated seaside community in Los Angeles County, California, with a marina that is a major boating and water recreation destination of the greater Los Angeles area. The marina is North America's largest man-made small-craft harbor and is home to approximately 5,000 boats. The area is a popular tourism destination for water activities such as paddle board and kayak rentals, dining cruises, and yacht charters. This Westside locale is approximately 4 miles (6.4 km) south of Santa Monica, and 4 miles (6.4 km) north of Los Angeles International Airport.

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References

  1. ↑ Williams, Carol J. (2010-02-23). "SoCal ACLU leader stepping down". Los Angeles Times. ISSN   0458-3035 . Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  2. ↑ Coker, Matt (February 23, 2010). "Ramona Ripston Retires as ACLU/SC Executive Director". OC Weekly. Archived from the original on 2010-06-30. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  3. ↑ Boyarsky, Bill (February 24, 2010). "Ramona Ripston: A place in L.A. history". LA Observed. Retrieved November 20, 2018.
  4. ↑ "Longtime Southern California ACLU leader Ramona Ripston dies at age 91". Daily News. 2018-11-04. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  5. 1 2 3 4 Seely, Katharine Q. (November 18, 2018). "Ramona Ripston, California Civil Liberties Champion, Dies at 91". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-11-20.
  6. 1 2 Ryan, Harriet (November 3, 2018). "Ramona Ripston, former executive director of ACLU of Southern California, dies at 91". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2018-11-20.


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