Ruby Bridges

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"We must absolutely take care of one another.  It does take a village, but we have to be a village first.  We have to take care of each other's children." Bridges lived up to this quote by showing she stood tall in the face of violence, acted braved through challenging times, and led people to break barriers, leading to a new bright generation. Ruby Bridges was born on September 8, 1954 in Mississippi to parents Lucille and Abon Bridges.  The family moved to New Orleans in 1958, hoping to find a better job and school opportunities.  Bridges received a test in kindergarten to see if she could integrate into the all Caucasian school, William Frantz Elementary.  Although she aced the test, numerous Caucasians were not happy about her joining the school.  Ruby attended her first day at William Frantz Elementary on November 14th, 1960.  When arriving, angry rioters screaming racial insults and profanity at her and her mother. On the second day of school, Bridge's met one of her biggest influences, her first grade teacher, Mrs. Barbara Henry.  Nervous at the thought of having a Caucasian teacher,  she learned to get outside of her comfort zone and love Mrs. Henry.  The two never missed a day of school, always learning something new about each other and slowly tearing down the racial barrier between them.  As the school year ended, both Henry and Bridges had to say their goodbyes.  Bridges thought she would have Henry as her teacher in second grade.  After finding out Henry moved to Boston, Bridges was devastated.  Bridges paved the way for more African American children to integrate into more all Caucasian schools.  As second grade started, African Americans and Caucasians learned in the same classroom together. Bridges finished school at William Frantz and integrated into a high school. After she graduated, Bridges worked as a travel agent and got married to her husband, Malcolm Hall.  The couple ended up having four children with him. After three decades of last seeing Mrs. Henry, Bridges and Henry finally met again in 1995.  Their reunion was glorious, as they caught up on each other's lives and remembered their days back at William Frantz. Four years later, Bridges established the Ruby Bridges Foundation.  The foundation fights for racial equality and education rights.  Bridges also wrote an autobiography on her experiences during the integration, Through My Eyes, (2009). Through the integration, Bridges proved them wrong with her undeniable bravery and her strong leadership paved the way for others.    

Although Bridges faced obstacles in her life, her bravery kept her head high from her being scared. She was above the stamina of a normal first grader.   "Bridges was not allowed to have recess on the playground with the other students...through it all, the adults around Bridges noticed her bravery...one of the marshals who escorted the girl to school every day, commented, 'For a little girl six years old going into a strange school with four strange deputy marshals, a place she had never been before, she showed a lot of courage. . . . And we're all very proud of her'" ( Contemporary Authors Online).  When Bridges came to the school, several parents pulled their child out of William Frantz.  Although there were some kids left, Bridges was forbidden to talk to the kids, play on the playground, of eat in the cafeteria.  Bridge's mom could only stayed with her on the first day of the new school.  She walked through the riots unafraid.  These walks of bravery became a symbol in the Civil Rights movement, inspiring countless that bravery is key to success. As Bridges walked to the entrance of her school, she was continuously facing rioters screaming slurs and insults at her.  "'Let us get out of the car first,' the marshal said. 'Then you'll get out, and the four of us will surround you and your daughter. We'll walk up to the door together. Just walk straight ahead, and don't look back.' I remember looking out of the car as we pulled up to the Frantz school. There were barricades and people shouting and policemen everywhere" (Bridges).  Bridges was only six years old when she was plummeted into the brutal world of racism.  When walking to her new school, slurs were continuously yelled at her to bring her down. However, Bridges was brave, and ignored all of it.  This didn't stop after the first day of school.  Riots protested all year round.  Despite it all, Bridges was brave and didn't let anything get to her.

Ruby being escorted to her school, William Frantz (http://cdn.theatlantic.com/assets/media/img/posts/ ())

Ruby Bridges led the way for African American children to be able to go to school safely with Caucasians.  She lost her fear of Caucasians people, and learned they weren't so different.  She preached this lesson to teach others to break the fear between the interaction of different races.  "I learned that she was absolutely nothing like those people outside of the school. And as time went on, I learned that, even though she looked like them, she was different. And I know now that it was because of her heart. I learned that there was no way to judge her the same way as I would judge the people outside of the school simply because she looked like them. So what I took away from that experience is that there's no way you can judge a person before you get to know them. Which is what I say to kids. It's the lesson that Dr. King tried to teach us: that we should nevermore judge a person by the color of their skin--but by the content of their character" (Bridges).  When Ruby first met her teacher, she was a bit suspicious of her. She never had a Caucasian teacher, let alone been alone with one.  Eventually, she got to grow and bond with Henry. Bridges learned Henry wanted Africans to have the same rights as Caucasians. This lesson shaped Ruby into the valiant leader she became.  A leader knows not to judge a person by their looks or class, but by their actions. Bridges lead the way for African kids to be able to go to school safely without the worry of riots or escort by law enforcement. "As we walked through the crowd, I didn't see any faces. I guess that's because I wasn't very tall and I was surrounded by the marshals. People yelled and threw things. I could see the school building, and it looked bigger and nicer than my old school. When we climbed the high steps to the front door, there were policemen in uniforms at the top. The policemen at the door and the crowd behind us made me think this was an important place" (Bridges).When Bridges first attended William Frantz, she had to be escorted by federal marshals, protecting her against the dangerous mobs.  Bridges was alone through this experience, since she was the only African child going to the elementary school.  Bridges paved a path for other African students, and making it easier for them to go to Caucasian schools.  Her leadership was fueled by a passion to inspire others.   

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