Ruby Bridges
Born in Tylertown, Mississippi, on September 8, 1954, Ruby Bridges was already a civil rights activist at the age of six, but did not realize it at the time. In 1960, after a federal court ruled that the school system in New Orleans, Louisiana, had to desegregate, Ruby was chosen to be the first African American child to attend William Frantz Elementary School. Because she was so young, Ruby did not realize the full implication of what she was about to do, or the dangers involved. "That first morning," she recalled in a 1997 PBS Newshour interview, "I remember mom saying as I got dressed in my new outfit, 'Now, I want you to behave yourself today, Ruby, and don't be afraid. There might be a lot of people outside this new school, but I'll be with you.'" When four federal marshals escorted her into the building through a crowd of protesters, Ruby did not realize why so many people were there: "I actually thought it was Mardi Gras. There was a large crowd of people outside of the school. They were throwing things and shouting, and that sort of goes on in New Orleans at Mardi Gras." Her walk inspired the painter Norman Rockwell to create his famous depiction of it, entitled "The Problem We All Live With." Angry parents pulled their children out of the school, or threatened to, so Ruby learned all alone in a classroom with her teacher, Mrs. Henry, and could not even go to the restroom without federal marshals escorting her. Although Ruby and her family suffered from the ordeal (her father lost his job and they were banned from the local grocery store), people in the community--blacks and whites--began to support them. Near the end of the first year, a few white parents slowly re-admitted their children to the school and Ruby was occasionally allowed to interact with them. The following year, Ruby went to school without an escort and attended class with white students.
Born in Tylertown, Mississippi, on September 8, 1954, Ruby Bridges was already a civil rights activist at the age of six, but did not realize it at the time. In 1960, after a federal court ruled that the school system in New Orleans, Louisiana, had to desegregate, Ruby was chosen to be the first African American child to attend William Frantz Elementary School. Because she was so young, Ruby did not realize the full implication of what she was about to do, or the dangers involved. "That first morning," she recalled in a 1997 PBS Newshour interview, "I remember mom saying as I got dressed in my new outfit, 'Now, I want you to behave yourself today, Ruby, and don't be afraid. There might be a lot of people outside this new school, but I'll be with you.'" When four federal marshals escorted her into the building through a crowd of protesters, Ruby did not realize why so many people were there: "I actually thought it was Mardi Gras. There was a large crowd of people outside of the school. They were throwing things and shouting, and that sort of goes on in New Orleans at Mardi Gras." Her walk inspired the painter Norman Rockwell to create his famous depiction of it, entitled "The Problem We All Live With." Angry parents pulled their children out of the school, or threatened to, so Ruby learned all alone in a classroom with her teacher, Mrs. Henry, and could not even go to the restroom without federal marshals escorting her. Although Ruby and her family suffered from the ordeal (her father lost his job and they were banned from the local grocery store), people in the community--blacks and whites--began to support them. Near the end of the first year, a few white parents slowly re-admitted their children to the school and Ruby was occasionally allowed to interact with them. The following year, Ruby went to school without an escort and attended class with white students.
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"Don't follow the path. Go where there is no path and start a trail." |
Sources:
http://www.biography.com/people/ruby-bridges-475426
http://www.rubybridges.com/story.html
http://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/ruby-bridges/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/social_issues/jan-june97/bridges_2-18.html
http://www.biography.com/people/ruby-bridges-475426
http://www.rubybridges.com/story.html
http://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/ruby-bridges/
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/social_issues/jan-june97/bridges_2-18.html