Calvin Ruck
Calvin Woodrow Ruck (1925-2004) was a prominent Canadian civil rights activist and politician, recognized for his extensive contributions to the Black community in Nova Scotia. Born in Sydney, Nova Scotia, to Barbadian parents, Ruck faced the challenges of racial segregation throughout his life. After leaving school at a young age, he began working as a porter for the Canadian National Railway, which was one of the few jobs available to Black men at the time. His experiences of discrimination, especially when he and his wife faced community opposition after purchasing land, fueled his activism against segregation.
Ruck later graduated from the Maritime School of Social Work and engaged with several community organizations, including the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NSAACP) and the Black Cultural Society of Nova Scotia. He served as a human rights officer and later became a community school coordinator in Dartmouth. His lifetime achievements earned him the Order of Canada and an appointment to the Canadian Senate, where he continued his advocacy on a national level. Ruck is remembered for initiatives like the Stay in School Project, aimed at supporting Black students, and for his efforts to recognize the contributions of Black veterans in Canadian history. His legacy is preserved through the Calvin Ruck Scholarship at Dalhousie University and through the works of his family, including his granddaughter’s book about his life.
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Subject Terms
Calvin Ruck
Activist and politician
- Born: September 25, 1925
- Birthplace: Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada
- Died: October 18, 2004
- Place of death: Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Significance: Calvin Woodrow Ruck was a senator, an activist, an author, and a social worker. He was the third Black Canadian appointed to the Canadian Senate. Throughout his life, Ruck was an active volunteer, working with the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission and the Black Cultural Centre. He was also a member of the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People and held multiple executive positions within the group.
Background
Calvin Woodrow Ruck was born on September 25, 1925, in Sydney, Nova Scotia. His parents, George and Ida Ruck, were originally from Barbados. Ruck left school after he completed the tenth grade and worked at the Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation. In 1945, he moved to Halifax to work as a sleeping car porter for the Canadian National Railway. The porter’s job was the only position open to Black men at that time. After meeting his wife in 1948, Ruck operated a confectionary store in Halifax for five years. When the couple purchased land in Westphal, local residents petitioned for them to leave the community. That experience led Ruck to become an activist against segregation.
In 1979, Ruck graduated from the Maritime School of Social Work at Dalhousie University and began working with the Department of Social Services. There, he worked to improve living conditions for residents near Halifax. He also became more involved in community organizations, including the Nova Scotia Association for the Advancement of Coloured People (NSAACP), the Black Cultural Society of Nova Scotia, and the NS Association of Social Workers. From 1981 to 1986, Ruck worked for the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission as a human rights officer. In 1986, he began working for Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, as a community school coordinator. In 1994, Ruck was named to the Order of Canada. He was appointed to the Senate in 1998.
Life’s Work
Ruck dedicated his life to helping others, both as a politician and an activist. He was a member of the East Preston Lions Club and a founding member of the North Preston Medical Daycare Society. He also worked with the Black Cultural Society of Nova Scotia, the Black Battalion Reunion Committee, and the Preston Area Housing Fund. His community work led to a variety of acknowledgments. In 1987, he was recognized with the National Harry Jerome Award, the Federal Secretary of State Award, and a certificate from the Nova Scotia Association of Social Workers. He also received the Governor General’s Commemorative Medal for community service in 1992.
While working with the NSAACP, Ruck began the Stay in School Project, which helped Black students financially by partnering with department and grocery store managers to provide part-time employment. His appointment to the Canadian Senate allowed his activism to continue on a larger scale. He retired from the Senate in 2000. In addition to serving as a senator, Ruck also wrote The Black Battalion 1916–1920: Canada’s Best Kept Military Secret, a book detailing the history of Black veterans during World War I.
Impact
Ruck’s legacy is frequently cited as being his dedication to his community. However, Ruck also worked for many years to get the Canadian government to formally recognize Black veteran Jeremiah Jones and his actions during the Battle of Vimy Ridge. According to records, in 1916, Jones was one of sixteen Black soldiers assigned to the Royal Canadian Regiment. During the Battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917, Jones’s unit was cornered by gunfire. Jones volunteered to attack the German gun emplacement. He threw a grenade at the emplacement and killed multiple German soldiers. He then had the remaining soldiers carry the guns back to the Canadian unit. Jones was reportedly recommended for the Distinguished Conduct Medal, Canada’s second highest medal, but no record exists of him ever receiving it. In 2010, sixty years after Jones’s death, he was posthumously awarded a Canadian Forces Medallion for Distinguished Service medal.
To further recognize Ruck’s work, the Calvin Ruck Scholarship was created at Dalhousie University for an African-Nova Scotian student entering the social work program. The scholarship is funded through the NSAACP.
Personal Life
Ruck died in 2004 after a battle with Alzheimer’s disease. At the time of his death, he lived in Ottawa, Ontario, with his wife, Joyce. The couple married in 1948 and had two sons: Douglas and Martin. After his father’s death, Douglas Ruck continued to promote the No. 2 Battalion, which as written about in his father’s book, The Black Battalion 1916–1920: Canada’s Best Kept Military Secret. Ruck’s granddaughter, Lindsay, wrote a book about her grandfather, Winds of Change: The Life and Legacy of Calvin W. Ruck.
Bibliography
“Apology in the Works for Descendants of Canada’s Only All-Black Battalion in First World War, Defence Minister Says.” The Globe and Mail, 29 Mar. 2021, www.theglobeandmail.com/canada/article-apology-in-the-works-for-descendants-of-canadas-only-all-black-2/. Accessed 21 June 2023.
“Black Activist Ruck Dies.” CBC, 20 Oct. 2004, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/black-activist-ruck-dies-1.512859. Accessed 21 June 2023.
“Black History Canada: Community Activist and Former NS Senator Calvin Ruck.” Wakenya Canada, 7 Feb. 2019, wakenyacanada.com/black-history-canada-community-activist-and-former-nova-scotia-senator-calvin-ruck/. Accessed 21 June 2022.
“Calvin Ruck.” Legacy, 21 Oct. 2004, www.legacy.com/us/obituaries/legacyremembers/calvin-ruck-obituary?id=44390689. Accessed 21 June 2023.
“Calvin Ruck Book Details Life of Human Rights Activist.” CBC, 6 May 2014, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/calvin-ruck-book-details-life-of-human-rights-activist-1.2633229. Accessed 21 June 2023.
Pope, Amanda. “Son of Late Senator Calvin Ruck Shares Significance of Canada’s Black Battalion.” CHCH, 11 Nov. 2021, www.chch.com/son-of-late-senator-calvin-ruck-shares-significance-of-canadas-black-battalion/. Accessed 21 June 2023.
Sevunts, Levon. “Black History Month: Jeremiah ‘Jerry’ Jones, a WWI Hero.” Radio Canada International, 13 Feb. 2020, www.rcinet.ca/en/2020/02/06/black-history-month-jeremiah-jerry-jones-a-wwi-hero/. Accessed 21 June 2023.
“Sorry at Passing of Calvin Ruck.” Nova Scotia, 20 Oct. 2004, novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20041020011. Accessed 21 June 2023.