Sarah E. Ray
Sarah E. Ray (1917-2006) was an African American civil rights activist who in 1945 was denied entry on a ferry operated by the Bob-Lo Excursion Company. She initiated a legal battle against the company via the NAACP which eventually ended up being processed by the United States Supreme Court. The court ruled in Ray’s favor, setting her case as a precursor to Brown v. Board of Education. After the Bob-Lo Co. vs. Michigan court case, she went on to create the Action House in Detroit which helped to empower Black youth in the city and offered spaces for recreational activities.