Colours of Friendship

Booker Taliaferro was born a mulatto slave in Franklin County, Virginia. There are no birth records for him so his exact birth date and father's name are unknown. It's believed that Booker was born about 1856 to his mother Jane. His father was a white man from a nearby plantation. Booker had a step-father named Washington who was owned by a different slave owner. As a child, Booker was never allowed to play for he worked from the time he arose in the morning until the time he went to sleep for the night. He had always dreamed about learning to read and write. In spring of 1865, Booker and his family learned that they were freed. A short time later, his step-father sent word that he had obtained a wage-paying job working in the Ruffner salt furnaces in West Virginia. Jane secured a two-horse wagon and loaded it with the little clothing, household goods, and coarse ground corn that they owned. Being in poor health, she rode on the wagon while Booker and the other children walked the 200 mile, two-week journey to West Virginia. Once they were settled in their cabin Booker immediately went to work at the Ruffner salt furnace and coal mines. That is where his dream to read and write started to materialize as he learned to recognize and write the number "18" that identified the salt barrels his step-father and brother packed. He detested the work and longed for an education. Booker had heard that Mrs. Viola Ruffner, wife of the owner of the mines, was a school teacher from Vermont. He asked her if he could work in their house as a servant and she agreed to "let him try." This is how Booker moved into the Ruffner house. There was not enough work to keep him busy, so Viola began teaching Booker to read and write. She encouraged him to attend an outside school as well. When he began attending school, it was necessary for him to have a last name so Booker creatively decided to use Washington, his step father's first name. Booker had to work many hours during the day and soon had to attend a night school which required him to walk several miles at night in order to receive lessons. In 1872 at age 16, Booker began attending Hampton Normal and Agricultural Institute in Virginia. He continued his friendship with Viola who encouraged him to obtain an education. Booker graduated in 1875 as Hampton's top honor graduate. He taught at Hampton for several years and then at age 25, began building the nation's leading African American institution, Tuskegee Institute. Booker used Mrs. Ruffner's character-building standards of hard work, cleanliness and order for his plan to build the university. In his autobiography, Booker writes of Viola, "...I soon looked upon her as one of my best friends." He also states, "...the lessons that I learned in the home of Mrs. Ruffner were as valuable to me as any education I have ever gotten anywhere since." Viola passed away in 1903 and will always be remembered as a dear friend to Booker as her name is engraved on several of his monuments. Throughout his lifetime, Booker was a major figure in the struggle for equal rights and encouraged equality through education and cooperation. Booker passed away in 1915, but his tireless work and never-ending determination continue to inspire us today. This white woman named Viola and black man named Booker had friendship with such a strong bond that it has lasted over 150 years. It continues on today, with the Ruffner and Washington families attending one another family reunions.