With her beauty school, Ruth Rowland Reed provided a place for young African American women to learn competitive vocational skills.
“Together we rise to greater prosperity and strength; apart we are sure to lay by the wayside.”
These are the words of Ruth Rowland Reed, a young African American entrepreneur, who mentored Black women in Harrisburg. After receiving training in cosmetology, Reed opened the Rowland School of Scientific Beauty Culture to empower young Black women through education and leadership. Born to William Rowland and Manne Goodwin on April 15, 1917, Reed spent most of her childhood in Tennessee before moving to Harrisburg, Pennsylvania where she attended Steelton High School. She continued her education at West Virginia State College, where she was involved in the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. After graduating, Reed moved back to Harrisburg and attended the Harrisburg School of Beauty Culture before starting her own beauty school at age 24.
Opening on December 3, 1941, the Rowland Beauty School quickly gained traction, staffed with highly qualified teachers and the most up-to-date equipment in cosmetology. Endorsed by influential people such as Maude B. Coleman, Pennsylvania's first interracial consultant who worked to ensure safe working environments for African Americans, the school flourished as a positive environment for young women.
The first enrollment consisted of 15 girls, mostly from Harrisburg and the surrounding areas. In just a few years, though, the school started gaining a positive reputation, and students arrived from states such as Kentucky, Alabama, Georgia, and Ohio. At least one World War II female veteran chose to study there under the Veterans Administration’s rehabilitation training program. In 1945, 98 percent of the graduating class successfully passed the State Board Examination.
Located at 1321 North Sixth Street in Harrisburg’s Seventh Ward, the school was heavily involved within the community. One of the school's most notable events was their annual fashion show that was open to the public. These shows featured annual themes such as “parade of stars” and “the hour of relaxation,” two themes that were used in the school’s fourth year.
In 1942, the school's students and alumni started a yearbook for the school titled The Cosmetise. It was a space where students could express their gratitude for the school and share their experiences. Many of the students looked up to Ruth Reed, grateful for the opportunities she provided for them. In one section titled “What My School Means to Me,” student Marion Scott wrote about Reed, saying:
"First of all, our teacher deserves enthusiastic praise. She has worked very hard to impress upon our minds the importance of beauty culture. In our school we are taught not only how to dress hair; but the importance of clean lives, bodies and homes. We are being prepared to meet competition with all workers. We do appreciate being given the opportunity to go to one of the most beautiful, modern, and up-to-date beauty schools in Pennsylvania."
These words of admiration reflect the respect Reed gained after only a year of the school’s opening. Her legacy went beyond her beauty school, though, as she was also highly involved in the community of Harrisburg. In addition to starting the school, she was active in several organizations that worked for the improvement of Harrisburg’s residents. She was the organizer of Harrisburg’s branch of the National Negro Business and Professional Women’s Club - an organization made up of African American female business owners and certified, licensed, and degreed professionals. Founded in 1935, and still active across the U.S today, their mission is to encourage and develop professional opportunities for Black women and to serve as advisors for young people seeking to enter the business and professional fields. Additionally, she served as the treasurer of the Harrisburg branch of the NAACP, advocating for the civil rights of African Americans in her local community, and regularly volunteered with the YWCA. Reed constantly put others before herself in order to make the whole better. She dedicated her life to enriching the lives of Black youth in her community. In the 1945 issue of The Cosmetise, she stated the following:
“Among my most prized ambitions exists the ultimate desire that each student who shall cross the threshold of our institution will find within its walls peace and contentment compared with the fact that he has found at last the precise vocation which he has been seeking. That he will immediately put forward the necessary effort to make his chosen profession bigger and better. That as a result of his attendance here that he will go forth a better citizen, better business character, and a more valued American.”
Even with her focus on serving the community, Reed still had time to start a family. On July 15, almost two years after the emergence of her beauty school, Ruth Rowland married Samuel Reed in Detroit, Michigan at the age of 25. Samuel Reed served in the army during World War II from November 1943 to October 1945. When he returned, he worked as a truck driver and chauffeur in Harrisburg and the surrounding community. Ruth and Samuel had two daughters, Patti Jo Anna and Ginger Alice Reed, and a son, Rowland Reed.
Ruth Rowland Reed served as a strong leader for young Black men and women, aiding them to find their passion and confidence through her beauty school. She was active in the community, contributing significantly to Harrisburg through her work with local and national organizations until her death on June 11, 1958. Her ability to create a space where women could learn despite the racial and sex-based barriers that were apparent throughout the country are a testament to her leadership and dedication to her community. Her school was able to serve as a safe space, not only for the students who attended it, but also for the surrounding community, thanks to Reed’s commitment to the betterment of others.
A full list of the resources used in this story can be found here.
Images
