72 Years Ago, Ruby McCollum Murdered the White Doctor Who Raped Her. Now Her Story is Being Retold in Detroit

Few stories are as gripping and notorious as the tale of Ruby McCollum and Dr. Clifford Leroy Adams Jr., a physician and senator-elect who never made it to take his elected seat. He never took office in Florida because he was shot dead by McCollum, a Black woman who pleaded to a jury that she killed Adams because he had been raping her and forced her to have his child.  And it’s hard to believe, especially considering the notoriety of the 1952 trial, that so little of McCollum’s story has been retold over the years, despite being extensively chronicled by one of the most prominent Black media outlets in the country.  But the silencing of Ruby McCollum is over. Real Times Media, the parent company of the Michigan Chronicle, in partnership with the Music Hall Center for the Performing Arts, is bringing the story to Detroit with the premiere of “Ruby,” a powerful musical retelling of the true story McCollum. This groundbreaking production, set to debut in February 2025, aligns with Real Times Media’s mission to amplify important Black stories that might otherwise go untold.  Ruby’s journey to Detroit is unconventional. It began with an email from a loyal supporter...