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Genna Sapia Ruffin: Delivered from Temptation

Thousands of women suffer from domestic violence in silence. For a time Genna Sapa Ruffin was one of them until she chose to bring her twisted and painful journey to the forefront to find healing and to help abused women who were like her.

The Younger Days

Genna’s early memories weren’t all rosy and nice. Even when she was young, she was already surrounded by a lot of pain and abuse, as she was raised by an alcoholic mother. By the time she was four, her parents divorced, which somehow made her feel abandoned while growing up. It wasn’t long before all these different types of abuse and suffering piled up and affected her overall character.

Her Blossoming Career

Interestingly despite what she’s going through, she was able to create a name for herself. By 1974 she became Miss Preakness in Baltimore, Maryland. With her beautiful face and great body, not to mention her pleasant aura, she eventually landed a spot in the entertainment industry in 1975, appearing with Bill Cosby and Raquel Welch in Mother, Juggs & Speed. Three years after, she appeared in Real Life with Albert Brooks. In 1994 she worked with make-up for Friday and NPG video.

The Abuse Worsened

The need to be loved and to belong was never lost, however. For more than 30 years, Genna took part in the New Age movement and joined a cult in search of companionship and belonging.

One night in 1964 while relaxing with a girlfriend down at a beach in Maryland; clad in a bathing suit, found herself watching a revue featuring more than 25 Motown acts, including that of the Temptations. Back then, though, the iconic group was still trying to make a name for themselves. To use a cliché, they started to play sweet music together, which eventually produced a son, David Ruffin Jr.

Yet the abuse she experienced while she was a child didn’t leave. In fact, it only got worse: she became a victim of domestic violence at the hands of the man she spent many years with.

Delivered from Temptation

In 2003, Genna authored and published A Memoir: David Ruffin—My Temptation. The autobiography was produced based on the many pages of her story written in her diary. It shed light on a lot of issues and tales that were kept hidden from the public such as the beating and the philandering, as well as her troubled childhood that defined her.

The book drew mixed reactions from critics and Temptations fans. After all, it painted Ruffin Sr. in a bad light. Around this time, Genna’s goal was to share her personal journey.

But something magical and monumental happened. While the book was in the market, she found God and received forgiveness. She gained acceptance of the past and finally let go of the resentment and anger boiling up for many years.

Around seven years after, she published a revised version called Delivered from Temptation: from Temptation to Salvation. True to its title, it spoke more of deliverance from the bond she had with David Ruffin Sr.—it shared his own sad childhood story and how his brokenness brought Genna to where she is now: in the arms of her loving Father.

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