Ruby Nell Bridges, daughter of Abon and Lucille Bridges, born on September 4, 1954, in Tylertown, Mississippi, is an iconic figure of the civil rights movement in the United States. She is best known for being the first African-American student to integrate a previously all-white elementary school in the southern United States, thus symbolizing the fight against racial segregation. Ruby Bridges grew up during a time marked by racial segregation and discrimination against African Americans.
Following the Brown v. Board of Education (1955) decision, which abolished racial segregation in public schools, Ruby was selected at the age of six to attend William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her admission was a crucial step in school desegregation, but it was also a challenging and controversial event. In September 1960, Ruby entered the school under heavy security, accompanied by federal marshals, as the majority of white parents and students had expressed their opposition and boycotted the school to prevent integration.
On the day of her enrollment, Ruby describes her arrival at the school as follows: “From the car, I could see the crowd, but since I lived in New Orleans, I thought it was Mardi Gras.” Ruby is welcomed in a heavy silence. Most classrooms are vacant, and Ruby spends the majority of her school year alone in her classroom, with a teacher – the only one who agreed to teach her: Barbara Henry, a teacher from the North. The young girl has to face hostility, insults, and solitude, but she shows great resilience. The following year, the situation improves significantly when several other African American students are integrated into the school.
Ruby finishes primary school and continues her studies at the integrated Francis T. Nicholls High School in New Orleans. She studies tourism at the Kansas City Business School and works for American Express as an international travel agent. Together with her husband Malcolm Hall, she will have 4 boys.
A passionate activist, Ruby gets involved in several initiatives to promote equality, education, and tolerance. In 1999, she founds the Ruby Bridges Foundation, an organization dedicated to eliminating racial barriers through education. The foundation encourages tolerance and mutual respect, notably by working with schools to teach the history of civil rights.
Her role and commitment are widely recognized. Ruby Bridges receives several awards and distinctions, including the Presidential Citizens Medal in 2001. She is also received by President Obama at the White House in 2011. During this visit, the president shows her the painting by Norman Rockwell titled "The Problem We All Live With" hanging on the wall. This painting, created in 1964 by the artist, commemorates the scene of the day of Ruby's school enrollment.
Today, Ruby Bridges continues to speak in schools, give lectures, and promote her messages of peace, equality, and justice. She symbolizes determination and hope in a fight that, even today, remains relevant."
Sources:
● Ruby Bridges | Biography & Facts [archive] , sur Encyclopedia Britannica
● Ruby Bridges [archive] , sur Biograph
● RUBY BRIDGES [archive] , sur BlackPast