1954 - Present
History |
History
Ruby Bridges was born on September 8th 1954 and was the oldest of 5 children. In the year she was born, the Supreme Court had decided on the Brown v. Board of Education case, in which it now made segregation in public schools illegal. In 1959, Ruby and 5 other students had to pass an exam to get into an all-white school after a federal court ordered Louisiana to desegregate. Her parents were deciding whether to let Ruby go to an all-white school. Her mother wanted Ruby to go because she will get the education that her parents did not. Her father was worried about her safety and didn't want her to go at first. Bridges eventually attended the William Frantz Elementary School, all-white school on November 14th 1960. Ruby Attending William Frantz Elementary School Ruby Bridges is known to be the first black student to attend William Frantz Elementary School, an all-white school in the south. Ruby and her mother had to be escorted by federal marshals everyday to get to school safely. On the way Ruby and her mother had racial slurs yelled at them. Ruby's first day was rough and was spent in the principal's office due to the chaos caused by the white student's parents protesting and taking their children out of the school. Barbara Henry from Boston,MA was the only teacher willing to teach Ruby, and Ruby was the only student in her class. Ruby did not miss a single day of school that year! Other teachers in the school quit their jobs because Ruby came to integrate the school. Northerners in support of Ruby sent money to her parents to support her, others protested against her going with white students to school. Consequences Through all this, her father lost his job, grocery stores wouldn't sell to her mother and her grandparents lost their farmland. Now Ruby now is graduated from a desegregated high school, and is married with 4 sons. She worked as a travel agent (Now is a Human Rights Activist) She wrote 2 books about her experiences and received the Carter G. Woodson Book Award. |
1. When Ruby arrived at the all-white school the crowds of people there to protest her and the disruption made her think it was Mardis Gras.
2. Ruby Got scared when going to school to see a protester have a black babydoll in a coffin. 3. One of the marshals who escorted Ruby said " She showed a lot of courage.She never cried.She didn't whimper. She just marched along like a soldier, and we are all very proud of her." 4. Her walk into the school that day was honored by the American painter Norman Rockwell in his work "The Problem We All Live With" Which was even displayed at The White House art gallery. |
5. Ruby was awarded the Presidential Citizens' medal in 2001 by President Bill Clinton.
6. On July 15, 2011, Ruby met with President Barack Obama at the White House. While looking at the Norman Rockwell painting and he said "I think it's fair to say if it hadn't been for you guys, I might not be here and we wouldn't be looking at this together." 7. After 1st grade, things began to become normal and Ruby walked to school safely without federal marshals and was in a class with both white and black children. 8. In 2014, a statue of her was revealed at the William Frantz School. |