Metropolitan Bids Farewell to Elder Ruth Hankins-Nesbitt
April 14, 1919 - April 12, 2007
Former Trustee Chair and Deacon Ruth Hankins Nesbitt joined the Metropolitan Baptist Church under the leadership of the late Dr. E.C. Smith in 1945. She began by working in the church teaching Sunday School and being active in every ministry that could utilize the gifts and talents God had given her. She was active with the Youth Ministries, the Legal Ministry, and the Women’s Ministry. She was appointed to the Trustee Board by the late Dr. E. C. Smith and later appointed as Chairperson of the Trustee Board by Dr. H. Beecher Hicks, Jr., a position, which she held for over 17 years. She was an active member of the Building Fund Committee, Stoddard Baptist Home and many of the church’s other ministries. Ruth used her expertise in Law, her teaching skills, her perseverance, her networking, her contacts and her dedication to help all she could for Kingdom building. She was a mentor to some and a surrogate mother to others. Her warmth, commitment, and model of giving back to God’s people what God blessed her with still stands as a beacon of light in the church and in the DC community.
Ruth Elizabeth Hankins Nesbitt was born on April 14, 1919 in Vernon Hill, VA. She was the second of nine children born to the late Nannie Pearl (Dodson) and Charles Thomas Hankins. Three of her brothers, have preceded her in death. Ruth spent her early years in South Boston, VA, an urban tobacco growing community. The determination of her father to never have his children work in the tobacco industry set Ruth on a quest to improve herself and be in a position to help her siblings. To this end Ruth graduated, salutatorian, from Halifax High School; enrolled in Lynchburg College, Lynchburg, VA and graduated with honors earning a certificate as a teacher. She earned an undergraduate degree from Virginia Seminary, in Lynchburg; and a law degree at the Robert Terrell School of Law in Washington, DC. She was one of the first Black women to pass the Virginia Bar; she also passed the DC Bar. In 1944, Ruth began working for the US. Department of Treasury in Chicago and a year later transferred to the U.S. Department of Defense in Washington, DC. This is where her legal expertise came into full bloom as she struggled to impact segregation and prejudice.
Ruth became active with the DC Democratic Party, organizing the women’s arm of that organization. She was active in the NAACP, The National Council of Negro Women, and the Questers (whom she dearly loved). In 1975, she was appointed to the Public Service Commission, a position which enabled her to help many citizens with utility and transportation expenses. She set a standard of excellence for her peers in the legal arena and in her community. Ruth was the first woman to serve as President of the Washington Bar Association; the first to be appointed to the Commission under the Home Rule Act and the first woman to serve as its Chairperson, all positions which caused her to struggle and sacrifice to help her race. In 1976, she was awarded Woman of the Year by the DC Bar Association. She earned a Distinguished Service Award from the Howard University Alumni Association, A Martin Luther King Award for Social Responsibility and an award for Outstanding Service In Government. In 1980, she was awarded the Ollie Mae Cooper Award. After having established the Charles Hamilton Houston Award, which honored many outstanding persons in legal and related professions, she was awarded the Charles Hamilton Houston Medallion of Merit, the highest award given by the Washington Bar Association. In 1990, she was awarded entrance into the DC Women’s Hall of Fame and in 1991 she was elected into the National Bar Association Hall of Fame.
On Thursday, April 12, 2007 at the Montgomery General Hospital, Ruth peacefully departed this life. She was preceded in death by her husband of 46 years, Vardell Nesbitt, her parents and her three brothers – Oscar, Samuel and Willie D. Her memory will be forever cherished by her daughter, Denise Nesbitt; grandson, Samuel (Sammy) Nesbitt; sisters – Eva H. Woodson, Mary H. Ballou, Lisa H. Middleton (Robert), Pastor Millie H. Ryan, and Nancy H. Overby (Bert); a sister- in law, Carrie Hankins; plus a host of nieces, nephews, other relatives, Sorority sisters, church family and friends. Her legacy lives on!
A memorial fund has been established in honor of Ruth. Contributions may be made to: Echoes from the Street and mailed to P.O. Box 6152, Silver Spring, MD 20916.
