Ruby Bridges

Ruby Bridges (http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/ brown/images/br0148s.jpg)

Ruby Bridges always had high spirits. Ruby wanted everything and everyone to be equal. When Ruby was young she attended William Frantz Elementary School. The civil rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King were still young. African American children could not go to a school with white children. Ruby was an African American girl but was brave enough to go to an all white school, although everyone in New Orleans was against it and wanted to hurt Ruby. People said bad things about her and protested in the streets. White families didn’t even send their children to school they were so mad! When Ruby went to school she was the only student in the classroom. I don’t think that was very polite. Ruby’s childhood was very different back then. Ruby’s family worked on a farm in Tylertown, Mississippi, picking beans.

In 1958 Ruby’s family moved to New Orleans. Ruby and her family rented an apartment on France Street. The apartment had two bedrooms. In 1960 Ruby started first grade. Ruby’s main challenge when she was young was being African American. Ruby had to pass the state board test so that she could go to William Frantz Elementary. Ruby’s parents didn’t decide to put Ruby into William Frantz, the court did. Four Marshals would have to surround Ruby when she was walking into the school. Ruby would pray every time she walked into William Frantz Elementary School because she didn’t want to get hurt, she wanted God to watch over her. Ruby would also pray every night before bed.

Ruby Bridges became a hero because of her bravery. She had to be very brave because when she went to school, everyone was yelling and screaming at her and didn’t want her in the school.

She had to go through a big mob of people and was only in first grade and so small. People thought she had a lot of courage to do that. Ruby also became a hero for her kindness. Ruby wanted to make friends but all of the parents said that African American children could not play with White children because they were different. She did not see herself as different and tried to play with the other children anyway. Ruby received two honorary college degrees and was featured in newspaper articles and also did public speaking.

I think that Ruby is a hero because of her bravery, courage and kindness. Ruby won two honorary college degrees, was featured in newspaper articles and became a public speaker. She wanted to become a speaker because she wanted to tell people about her life and of the obstacles she overcame.