September 8 – Happy Birthday, Ruby Bridges

nPostednon September 8, 2015

nRubynBridges says, “Racism is a grown-up disease, and we must stop using our children to spread it.”

nAndnyou know what? I think she knows what she is talking about. This isnwhat Ruby Bridges looked like in 1960:

nArenyou thinking she is getting arrested? There seem to be several U.S.nMarshals and other law-enforcement personnel surrounding her!

nButnthose guys-in-suits-with-badges were there to protect littlen6-year-old Ruby as she went to school.

Protectnher from crowds of white people – mostly adults – throwing thingsnand

nshouting threats and offensive words.
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nProtectnher from crowds of white people chanting “2-4-6-8, we don’t want tonintegrate!”

nProtectnher from crowds of white people with signs saying that they want tonkeep their “clean white school.”

nProtectnher from scores of white mothers who rushed into the school, once shenhad gone inside, to fetch their children out.

nRubynBridges made history by merely going to school – because she wasnthe first black child to attend an all-white school in Louisiana.

nRubynwas one of six black kids in New Orleans who passed a test tondetermine if they could go to an all-white school. Two of the kidsndecided to stay at their old school; three went to a school callednMcDonogh, and Ruby went – all by herself – to William FrantznElementary School.

nThenU.S. Marshals were very proud of little Ruby. They said later thatnshe was really courageous. She never cried or even whimpered. One ofnthe marshals said that she marched along “like a little soldier.”

One of the most famous artists in the U.S., in the
1960s, was illustrator Norman Rockwell.

He made this well known painting of Ruby Bridges.

nThatnfirst day, there was too much chaos from parents removing their kidsnfrom school for Ruby to go to class, so she and the U.S. Marshalsnspent the day sitting in the principal’s office.

nThensecond day, however, Ruby went to class. Still alone – it turns outnthat almost none of the teachers would teach her! Only one teacher,nBarbara Henry, who was from Massachusetts, would agree to teach Rubyn– and, since none of the white parents would allow their kids tonattend that class, Henry taught ONLY Ruby.

That’snright: teacher Barbara Henry had an entire classroom with just onenstudent, Ruby, and she taught first grade just as if she had annormal-sized class!

nAnd this went on for the whole school year!

Ruby with Mrs. Henry

nThatnsecond day of integration, one of the white parents broke through thenlines of protestors to take his 5-year-old daughter into the school,nand a few days later, more white parents took their kids into school.nSoon the protests started to subside…but Ruby still faced uglinessnas she walked to school.

nFornexample, a white woman threatened to poison her. Every day! (The U.S.nMarshals charged by President Eisenhower with protecting Rubynwouldn’t let her eat any food at school other than what she broughtnfrom home. I’m not sure why they couldn’t arrest the woman makingnthreats!)

The thing that scared Ruby the most was a womannprotestor who had put a black baby doll into a wooden coffin. n

Now there is an elementary school
in California named Ruby Bridges!

nRuby’snwhole family suffered: her father lost his job, her grandparents werenturned off of their land (they were sharecroppers), and even thengrocery store they shopped at would no longer allow them to donso!

But Ruby Bridges remembers that many people in thencommunity showed support – including, I am happy to say, many white people! One personnprovided her father with a new job, some people watched the Bridgesnhouse as protectors, some offered to babysit, and some showed up as ancounter-protest, as Ruby went to school, to show that she was notnalone.

People from outside of the community were supportive,ntoo. Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt wrote a note. People fromnall over the U.S. sent Ruby and her family gifts and money. Bridgesnlater wrote, “The money made a big difference to my family, andit kept coming for months.”

nTon learn more about Ruby Bridges’ first year at the William Frantzn school, check out this short video.

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nOrn read The Story of Ruby Bridges,n by Robert Coles.

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nRuby Bridges was born on this date in 1954 (just a bit more than a month before I was born!). Today Ruby Bridges still lives in New Orleans with her husband and four sons. She worked for many years as a travel agent, and she now runs a foundation dedicated to promoting tolerance, respect, and appreciation for all people.