Ruby Bridges

Ruby Bridges long walk (painting by Norman Rockwell)

Ruby Bridges helped the world by desegregating schools in the south. You might wonder why this helped people so much, but the all white schools gave kids a better education. And were less dirty, and just had all around a better school.

Ruby Bridges was the first African American to go to an all white school in the south. Before her the schools were segregated, which means that there were all white schools and all black schools, and that no black person could go to an all white school. She was so brave for going into an all white school. I can’t believe all of the hateful things that were being said to her. That one woman even threatened to kill her! How could they say all of those hurtful things to a little girl they didn’t even know! I just don’t get it.

Walking into the school.

In November of 1960 Ruby Bridges walked into the William Frantz public school. Although there wasn’t slavery anymore, this was a time of racism and neglect to African Americans, there was segregation, name calling, and arresting black people for no reason other than that they were protesting. The time was then to stop this terrible madness, and who was to stop this, you may ask? Would you believe me if I said a little black girl barely six years old named Ruby Bridges?

One day in November of 1960 you drive by William Frantz public school and see a huge crowd. So you get out of your car and find people yelling and screaming, spitting and saying hateful things. What was going on? You push to the front of a crowd and see marshals and then in between them all is a tiny black girl heading straight into the building.

Her now at age 60

Ruby's mother believed that someone needed to desegregate schools. She believed it would help desegregation, and schools were a big part of it. It just took one person to do what she did and then people started following in her footsteps. After Ruby did it, Little Rock Nine did it and then more and more people until the schools were desegregated. It just took one person to do something that seemed so little, which obviously wasn’t. I am almost twice the age she was and I don’t know if I would have been able to do it!