#ruby bridges

[citizenscreen]

On November 14, 1960, Six-year-old Ruby Bridges walked into William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana, becoming the first Black student to attend the previously all-white school. Accompanied by federal marshals and taunted by angry crowds. Ruby became a symbol of the #CivilRights movement #desegregation

Six years old. Amazing courage.

[whenweallvote]

Many are familiar with Ruby Bridges’ courageous act of desegregating an all-white school in the South. Did you know that three other students did the same on this day just a few blocks away?

On November 14, 1960, Leona Tate, Gail Etienne, Tessie Prevost, and Ruby Bridges made history as the first Black children to attend formerly all-white schools in the South, following a federal judge’s order to desegregate New Orleans schools.

Due to angry parents and officials protesting the girls’ admissions, federal marshals escorted them on campus throughout the school year.

At only six-years-old, these girls became symbols of the civil rights movement. Today, and every day, we honor them for their bravery. ✊🏾

[porterdavis]

Black History Month

[forever70s]

Ruby Bridges is a civil rights activist.

As a 6 year old little girl, she was the first Black child to integrate a Whites-only school in the American South (New Orleans) in 1960. She had to be escorted by federal marshals for protection from racist protestors.

She is pictured below in a recent photo:

[holdtightposts]

Keep in mind that people who are unreasonably angry and calling Captain America, Anthony Mackie, a liar for saying his father picked cotton in the 1960’s are the same people who were taught by their parents and grandparents what happened to Ruby Bridges in the 1960’s wasn’t real to hide their own disgusting behaviours. Generations of inbred stupidity.

[mrsoulstice]

Did you know on this day, November 14th 1960, Ruby Bridges(now 70) was the 1st black child to integrate an all white segregated school.

[soberscientistlife]

[loveerran]

The Power of a Good Friend

In November of 1960, 6-year old Ruby Bridges was escorted by US federal marshalls into William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans - 6 years after the US Supreme Court's Brown v Board of Education overturned its own previous "separate but equal" ruling from Plessy v Fergusson.

The state had tried closing schools rather than integrate them, the legislature had passed dozens of laws to keep schools segregated (in defiance of the courts), and school boards had implemented egregious barriers to integration, including 'intelligence' and other testing for prospective black students. White parents withdrew their children from school in protest. Ruby was eventually the only student in her class. Crowds of adults outside the school screamed death threats and hurled racial slurs.

In the midst of all this turmoil, Ruby's white teacher, Barbara Henry, became her friend and ally. Ruby would later say "Despite all the hate that was going on outside, inside that room it was filled with love". While other teachers resigned their jobs in protest over integration, Ms. Henry committed herself to supporting Ruby. "I would not have gotten through that if it had not been for my teacher," Ruby later recalled. "She filled my day with things to do. She made school fun. I enjoyed learning. Even though the crowd was outside yelling, she would go and close the window, and she'd say 'We're going to have music today,' just to drown out everything." Initially, Ruby had lunch alone in the classroom, while Ms. Henry ate with other teachers, but Ruby stopped eating. She hid her sandwiches in a storage cabinet until mice and roaches started showing interest. Ruby later said Ms. Brown "was just sorry there were so many days when I hadn't eaten. After that, she usually ate with me so I wouldn't be lonely".

Ruby recently wrote a book, titled Ruby Bridges: A Talk with My Teacher, described as a love letter to teachers who hold the power to change lives. The value and impact of even one true friend on someone's life is impossible to measure.

Ruby went on to graduate from a desegregated high school, marry, have four children, and start the Ruby Bridges foundation to promote "the values of tolerance, respect, and appreciation of all differences". I love the story of her meeting President Barack Obama in the White House when Norman Rockwell's painting The Problem We All Live With, was placed on display. When President Obama came into the room, he gave her a hug and whispered "I cannot begin to tell you what an honor it is to welcome you into this White House under this administration... I think it's fair to say that if it hadn't been for you guys, I might not be here and we wouldn't be looking at this together."

When asked what advice she would give to herself as a child today, Ruby replied "It would be the same advice that the federal marshalls gave me. They said, 'Ruby, walk straight ahead and don't look back.' That's what they told me at 6 years old, and I've tried really, really hard to do that. I think that would be my advice to all of us who were on this path and want to see a better world for our children."

[beardedmrbean]

Happy day late for desegregation day, may we continue to strive for togetherness no matter who or what is trying to drive us apart.

[citizenscreen]

On November 14, 1960, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first African American child to integrate an all-white elementary school in the South. Ruby and her mother were escorted into the William Frantz Elementary School by four federal marshalls. This escort continued all year. She did not miss one day of school. #OnThisDay

[justinspoliticalcorner]

Julianne McShane at Mother Jones, via LGBTQ Nation:

Civil Rights icon Ruby Bridges is an integral part of U.S. history lessons in classrooms nationwide, given her status as the first Black child to integrate an elementary school in the South. But to the right-wing culture warriors behind efforts to ban books about American history—including systemic racism and discrimination against LGBTQ people—Bridges has become something else: a threat. 

Books recounting Bridges’ story—several of which are authored by Bridges herself, including one published in January—have been banned or challenged by schools in Pennsylvania, Texas, Iowa, and Tennessee. And last year, a school in Florida stopped showing a Disney film about Bridges’ life after a parent complained it might make kids think white people hate Black people. On Sunday, Bridges, 69, told Kristen Welker, host of NBC’s Meet the Press, that she sees such efforts as “ridiculous.”  “The excuse that I’ve heard them give is that my story actually makes, especially White kids, feel bad about themselves,” Bridges told Welker, adding that children from all around the world regularly reach out to her to tell her what her story means to them. “I found through my 25 years of travel that they resonate with the loneliness, probably the pain that I felt, not having a friend,” she told Welker of readers. “There’s all sorts of reasons that they’re drawn to my story. So I would have to disagree…I believe that it’s just an excuse not to share the truth—to cover up history. I believe that history is sacred—that none of us should have the right to change or alter history in any way.”

Speaking to host Kristen Welker on the April 28th edition of NBC’s Meet The Press, civil rights icon Ruby Bridges criticizes book bans that serve to censor the teaching of true American history.

From the 04.28.2024 edition of NBC's Meet The Press:

[whenweallvote]

#OTD in 1960: Ruby Bridges became the first Black child to attend William J. Frantz Elementary School after a court order mandated the desegregation of schools in New Orleans, Louisiana.

At just six years old, Ruby and her story became a symbol of the civil rights movement 🤎

[toomentalitypeach]

Ruby N. Bridges (now Bridges-Hall) was the first African-American child to defy the mob[and by all odds in my humble opinion] by attending to an all-white school 🏫 back in November 1960 in Louisiana, thus de-segregating on said elementary school.

If you guys are interested, she has her own Instagram account, "RubyBridgesofficial" :

https://www.instagram.com/rubybridgesofficial

Source:

[transparentgentlemenmarker]

Never forget when Ruby Bridges integrated her elementary school a white woman woman held up a black baby doll in a coffin & another white woman threatened to poison her. The entire school year Ruby was only allowed to eat food that she brought from home, for her own safety.

Ruby Bridges est la première enfant qui a intégré une école primaire réservée exclusivement aux blancs, une femme blanche a brandi une poupée noire dans un cercueil et une autre femme blanche a menacé de l'empoisonner. Pendant toute l'année scolaire, Ruby n'a été autorisée à manger que la nourriture qu'elle avait apportée de chez elle, pour sa propre sécurité.

Elle est célébrée tous les 14 novembre