Meet Ruthzee Louijeune
Ruthzee Louijeune, serving her second term as City Councilor At-Large and unanimously elected as Boston City Council President, is a grounded, thoughtful, and inclusive leader.
Born and raised in Mattapan and Hyde Park to working-class Haitian immigrants, Ruthzee’s journey is deeply rooted in the fabric of Boston. A dedicated public servant, Ruthzee is committed to fostering shared prosperity in Boston with a focus on justice and equity.
Ruthzee fights for all of us.
As a lawyer and advocate, Ruthzee fights for working people— in particular Black and Latinx communities— on issues of housing and homeownership, education access, and civic participation.
Her first job was as a walking tour guide with the youth organization MYTOWN, where she offered a people-centered history of Boston’s neighborhoods. While a student activist, Ruthzee contributed to redesigning the student assignment process under Mayor Menino and served as a Ward Fellow for former State Representative Marie St. Fleur.
As a lawyer, Ruthzee fought for families facing eviction and foreclosure in Boston Housing Court. She defended voting rights in cases before the U.S. Supreme Court, helped elect progressive prosecutors nationwide, and served as the senior attorney on Senator Elizabeth Warren’s presidential campaign. A fierce housing advocate, she drafted agreements that secured millions of dollars for first-generation homeowners as a member of Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA).
In her first term as a City Councilor At-Large, Ruthzee chaired the Committee on Civil Rights and Immigrant Advancement, where she successfully advocated for the expansion of the Office of Returning Citizens, won financial support for immigrants and new arrivals, stood up for the rights of our LGBTQ+ siblings, and convened marginalized communities for a civil rights forum to tackle pressing issues together. After a federal court order returned the proposed district map to the council, Ruthzee successfully led the redistricting process to pass a new map.
Additionally, she served as Vice Chairs of the Committee on Government Operations and Housing and Community Development. In these roles, she advocated for affordable housing and accessible homeownership, resilient, energy-efficient school buildings, teacher diversity, and more supportive services for students—all in an effort to address racial justice and equity. Her advocacy resulted in budget wins for communities too often overlooked.
Ruthzee makes history as the first Haitian American elected to Boston municipal government, the U.S. city with the second largest Haitian population per capita, and the first Haitian American to serve as President of the council. An alumna of Boston Public Schools, Columbia University, Harvard Law School, and Harvard Kennedy School of Government, Ruthzee is trilingual, fluent in French and Haitian Creole, with conversational proficiency in Spanish. Her multifaceted background and unwavering dedication to serving her community make her a transformative leader shaping the future of Boston.
Serving her hometown.
Ruthzee has always used her skills to give back to the same village that raised her, the same neighbors that supported her, and the same communities that continue to sustain her.
Ruthzee’s parents came to Boston with nothing but a whiff of the American Dream. They took double shifts at hospitals, suffered job loss, and endured racism. A village of family, friends, and neighbors helped them along the way, coupled with the assistance of public programs and spaces like the Lower Mills Public Library. Ruthzee’s parents instilled in their four daughters the value of education to open doors that remained bolted-shut for them. Ruthzee attended Charles H. Taylor Elementary School, John W. McCormack Middle School, and Boston Latin School. She went on to receive degrees from Columbia University, Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Harvard Law School.
Ruthzee’s Work to Expand Civic Participation
Ruthzee is no stranger to civic participation and the democratic process. When a Downtown nightclub denied entry to Ruthzee and her classmates simply because they were Black, Ruthzee testified before City Council upon request by then-Councilor Ayanna Pressley. She also provided sworn testimony to the Attorney General, determined to ensure that no other Black Bostonian would have to face such discrimination again.
And when the political process ignores the needs of her community, Ruthzee and her family have joined and led protests against unfair immigration practices and police brutality. Learn more on Ruthzee’s vision for an inclusive city government.
Ruthzee’s Work in Housing
As a 14 year-old tour guide, Ruthzee learned early on about the devastating effect of government-sponsored practices such as redlining and blockbusting that entrenched housing segregation and deprived Black Bostonians of wealth-building opportunities through homeownership. While a student at Harvard Law School, Ruthzee spent her Saturdays volunteering with Project No One Leaves, knocking on doors of Boston homeowners and tenants in properties facing foreclosure, and provided them with legal assistance in partnership with City Life/Vida Urbana.
Learn about Ruthzee’s vision for housing and homeownership in Boston.
Ruthzee’s Work in Education
Ruthzee is a proud graduate of Boston Public Schools. While in college and graduate school, Ruthzee continued to work with public school students, creating a program called “Each One Teach One.” In this work, she began mentoring young Haitian immigrants, and served as a classroom assistant to her first-grade teacher for a semester while attending Harvard Kennedy School. Ruthzee also worked at the Posse Foundation, a non-profit working on expanding access, equity, and meritocracy in education, where she helped alumni of the program apply to graduate programs.
Ruthzee realizes the incredible role that education and mentorship can play in reducing poverty and increasing access and is committed to driving more resources to the public schools most in need. Learn about Ruthzee’s vision for schools.
Ruthzee lives in Hyde Park and can be found hiking, biking, and scooting in Blue Hills, the Neponset Trail, Jamaicaway, or along Southwest Corridor Park. You can also find her running with TrailBlazHers Running Co. with her sister, bringing her nieces and nephews to Franklin Park Zoo, and attending all types of parades, whether along Blue Hill Avenue or in East Boston.