Ruby Bridges

A hero to me is someone who helps others and goes beyond what is expected. Ruby Bridges is one such person. She is a hero to me and many others because she was a leader in change for blacks and their education.

Ruby Bridges was born in a cabin near Tylertown, Mississippi in 1957, but the family moved to new Orleans. Every Sunday they went to church because Ruby's mom wanted her children to be close to God's spirit. Ruby's mom told her children that God will always protect them and so her children believed just that. During that time, in the school system, the black children were not allowed to to go to the same schools as white children. Everything changed for Ruby's family and all the other black families after the Supreme Court decided to change the laws. Ruby was one of the four black girls that were picked to go to a new school that was previously all white. Three of the girls were sent to McDonogh 19 and Ruby was sent alone to William Frantz Elementary school. On Ruby's first day of school there was a large angry crowd. They did not want blacks in the school. They had to have federal marshals that carried guns, there in case people wanted to hurt her or prevent her from going to the school. Ruby bravely walked in holding her head high but not saying a word. The whites protested by not sending their children to school, so Ruby was all alone.

Ruby had many challenges in her life. First, Ruby's dad had gotten fired from his job.
He worked hard picking crops. The family was very poor. The whole family had to move to different houses because they didn't have enough money. Sometimes they didn't even have enough money for food. Life was not easy for the family. Another challenge was when the court ordered her to go to an all white school. It was difficult because she was the only black student. While there, she was all alone and had nobody to play with or study with besides her  teacher.

Ruby accomplished many things in her life even as a young child. One thing Ruby accomplished in her life was being a good and very polite person. She would always be polite, work hard in school and always had a smile on her face even though she was alone in the classroom and no one to talk to or eat lunch with. She was there to learn. Mrs. Henry, her teacher always wondered how Ruby was able to go through those mobs of people and not appear scared or nervous. The teacher saw Ruby out the window and saw her stop in front of the crowd saying something. Mrs. Henry asked her and Ruby told her that she just stopped to pray for the crowd. Eventually the white children joined Ruby at school.

The honors and recognitions that Ruby achieved were many. One thing she achieved was being a smart little girl. She did all her lessons and worked willingly at school. She got letters from people all over the world in support of her. She even received one from Eleanor Roosevelt. Ruby went on to graduate from High School and got an honorary degree from The College of New Rochelle. She worked as a travel agent and later made personal appearances to talk about her experiences. She travels the world. Ruby accomplished many things in her life.

There were many character traits that Ruby had that helped her to be successful. First, Ruby was brave because all the white people that did not want her in their school wanted to hurt her. She went through mobs of people every day. She was confident because she knew she was doing the right thing. She stuck up for herself in a peaceful way. She was also religious. She prayed a lot which helped her to get through many tough situations.

In conclusion, Ruby bridges was a hero for many people because of her confidence, bravery and many other things as well. She was born on a farm and always had to work on the farm all day and when they were tired they would just take a little brake and go back to work.