Ruby Bridges

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Lore & Background

As a child, Bridges spent much time taking care of her younger siblings, though she also enjoyed playing jump rope and softball and climbing trees. When she was four, her family relocated from Tylertown, Mississippi, to New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1960, at age six, her parents responded to a request from the NAACP and volunteered her to participate in the integration of the New Orleans school system, even though her father was hesitant. Bridges was one of six black children in New Orleans to pass the test that determined whether they could go to the all-white William Frantz Elementary School; two of the six decided to stay at their old school, Bridges went to Frantz by herself, and three children were transferred to the all-white McDonogh No. 19 Elementary School. All four 6-year-old girls were escorted to school by federal marshals during the first day they attended the two schools. As Bridges describes it, 'Driving up I could see the crowd, but living in New Orleans, 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.' Former United States Deputy Marshal Charles Burks later recalled, 'She showed a lot of courage. She never cried. She didn't whimper. She just marched along like a little soldier, and we're all very very proud of her.' As soon as Bridges entered the school, white parents pulled their own children out; all the teachers except for one refused to teach while a black child was enrolled. Only Barbara Henry, who was from Boston, agreed to teach Bridges, and for over a year Henry taught her alone, 'as if she were teaching a whole class.' Every morning, as Bridges walked to school, one woman would threaten to poison her, while another held up a black baby doll in a coffin. This led the U.S. Marshals dispatched to oversee her safety to only allow Bridges to eat the food that she brought from home, and she was not allowed to participate in recess.

Reader's Guide

Ruby Bridges's significance lies in her role as a symbol of the struggle for school desegregation following the *Brown v. Board of Education* decision, which was decided three months and twenty-two days before her birth. The court ruling declared that the establishment of separate public schools for white children, which black children were barred from attending, was unconstitutional. Though the decision was finalized in 1954, southern states were extremely resistant to the decision that they must integrate within six years. Under significant pressure from the federal government, the Orleans Parish School Board administered an entrance exam to students at Bridges's school with the intention of keeping black children out of white schools. Bridges's experience also demonstrated the personal costs of activism: her father lost his job as a gas station attendant; the grocery store the family shopped at would no longer let them shop there; her grandparents, who were sharecroppers in Mississippi, were turned off their land; and Abon and Lucille Bridges separated. Bridges has noted that many others in the community, both black and white, showed support in a variety of ways. Some white families continued to send their children to Frantz despite the protests, a neighbor provided her father with a new job, and local people babysat, watched the house as protectors, and walked behind the federal marshals' car on the trips to school. It was not until Bridges was an adult that she learned that the immaculate clothing she wore to school in those first weeks at Frantz was sent to her family by a relative of child psychiatrist Robert Coles, who volunteered to provide counseling to Bridges during her first year at Frantz. Bridges says her family could never have afforded the dresses, socks, and shoes that are documented in photographs of her escort by U.S. Marshals to and from the school.

Did You Know?

• Ruby Bridges was the first African American child to attend formerly whites-only William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana on November 14, 1960.
• She is the subject of Norman Rockwell's 1964 painting *The Problem We All Live With*, which was published in *Look* magazine on January 14, 1964.
• For over a year, teacher Barbara Henry taught Bridges alone, 'as if she were teaching a whole class,' because all other teachers refused to teach while a black child was enrolled.
• Every morning as Bridges walked to school, one woman threatened to poison her, and another held up a black baby doll in a coffin.
• On July 15, 2011, Bridges met with President Barack Obama at the White House, who told her, 'I think it's fair to say that if it hadn't been for you guys, I might not be here and we wouldn't be looking at this together.'

A Place in the Roster of Resistance

Ruby Bridges occupies a specific and meaningful position within a broader catalog of African-American activists who have dedicated their lives to confronting the deep-rooted racism embedded in American society. The United States carries a long and painful history of systemic discrimination against its Black citizens, a reality that has necessitated generations of courageous individuals stepping forward to challenge injustice. Bridges is identified in this tradition specifically as a civil rights activist, a designation that places her squarely within the movement to dismantle racial barriers and demand equality. Her name appears among a carefully curated list of notable figures recognized for their activism, a list that spans numerous disciplines and eras. By being included alongside so many other dedicated individuals, her contribution is situated within a collective effort rather than a solitary act, underscoring that the fight against racial injustice has always been a shared, multifaceted endeavor carried forward by people from every walk of life.

Defined by the Civil Rights Struggle

Within the vast landscape of African-American activism, Ruby Bridges is specifically categorized as a civil rights activist, a label that distinguishes her work within the broader spectrum of social justice efforts. The catalog from which she is drawn encompasses a remarkable diversity of causes—voting rights, women's rights, LGBT rights, AIDS and HIV advocacy, labor organizing, and more—yet the primary focus remains on those who have historically and currently fought racism and racial injustice directed at African-Americans. Bridges' identification as a civil rights activist anchors her within this central mission. The United States has a long history of racism against its Black citizens, and the civil rights designation signals that her activism was directed at the fundamental structures of racial inequality. She stands in the same category as figures whose work spanned law, education, politics, and community organizing, all united by the shared purpose of confronting the systemic barriers that have defined the Black experience in America.

Among a Constellation of Voices

Ruby Bridges' name sits in the B section of a comprehensive roster that reads like a who's-who of American resistance. Around her, in alphabetical order, are activists who were ministers, lawyers, educators, writers, poets, politicians, journalists, nurses, and businesswomen. The list includes abolitionists, suffragists, and modern-day co-founders of movements like Black Lives Matter, spanning centuries of struggle. What unites them all is the designation of being notable African-Americans known as activists, individuals whose lives were shaped by the imperative to challenge a nation with a long history of racism against its Black citizens. Bridges is not set apart as singular in this context; rather, she is woven into a tapestry of voices that collectively represent the full breadth of the fight for racial justice. Her presence among such a diverse array of figures—from those who organized labor to those who published newspapers—reminds us that the civil rights movement was never monolithic but a chorus of many different instruments playing toward the same harmony.

The Ongoing Arc of the Fight

The list in which Ruby Bridges is named is not merely a historical artifact; it explicitly includes activists who are both historical and current, acknowledging that the struggle against racism in the United States is an ongoing endeavor rather than a closed chapter. The catalog makes clear that the United States has a long history of racism against its Black citizens, a reality that continues to demand new generations of activists to carry the torch forward. Bridges, identified as a civil rights activist, represents one thread in this unbroken line of resistance. The list covers various areas of activism, suggesting that the fight against racial injustice manifests in countless forms and contexts. By placing her name alongside both those who fought in earlier decades and those still active today, the record affirms that the work of dismantling racial inequality is perpetual. Bridges' inclusion in this living document speaks to the enduring relevance of civil rights activism and the continuous need for individuals willing to stand against the forces of racial injustice.