Background
"Don't follow the path. Go where there is no path and begin the trail. When you start a new trail equipped with courage, strength and conviction, the only thing that can stop you is you!" - Ruby Bridges
Ruby Nell Bridges Hall is an American rights activist. "She was born on September 8, 1954, in Tylertown, Mississippi, and grew up on the farm her parents and grandparents sharecropped in Mississippi. When she was 4 years old, her parents, Abon and Lucille Bridges, moved to New Orleans, hoping for a better life in a bigger city. Her father got a job as a gas station attendant and her mother took night jobs to help support their growing family. Soon, young Ruby had two younger brothers and a younger sister." They lived in the front part of a large rooming house on France Street in the Florida neighborhood which was segregated and mostly working class.
All About Ruby. 1960. Louisiana. Ruby! The Story of Ruby Bridges.Web. 17 Dec. 2016.
Racism is a grown-up disease and we must stop using our children to spread it. -Ruby Bridges Ruby Bridges Painting. N.d. Louisiana. Ruby Bridges: Children's Discovery. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
Ruby Bridges and her teacher, Barbara Henry became close and remain friends today. The Ruby Bridges Foundation was created to give all kids an equal opportunity to succeed. Ruby Bridges and Barbara Henry continue to share their stories and promote cultural understanding through community service with the Foundation.
Ruby Bridges Learning. 1960. Louisiana. 6 Year Old Ruby Bridges Changes the Face of a Nation. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
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"When Ruby was in kindergarten, she was one of many African-American students in New Orleans who were chosen to take a test determining whether or not she could attend a white school. It is said the test was written to be especially difficult so that students would have a hard time passing. The idea was that if all the African-American children failed the test, New Orleans schools might be able to stay segregated for a while longer. Ruby lived a mere five blocks from an all-white school, but attended kindergarten several miles away, at an all-black segregated school. Her father was averse to his daughter taking the test, believing that if she passed and was allowed to go to the white school, there would be trouble. Her mother, Lucille, however, pressed the issue, believing that Ruby would get a better education at a white school. She was eventually able to convince Ruby's father to let her take the test. In 1960, Ruby Bridges' parents were informed by officials from the NAACP that she was one of only six African-American students to pass the test. Ruby would be the only African-American student to attend the William Frantz School, near her home, and the first black child to attend an all-white elementary school in the South." However, "All through the summer and early fall, the Louisiana State Legislature had found ways to fight the federal court order and slow the integration process. After exhausting all stalling tactics, the Legislature had to relent, and the designated schools were to be integrated that November." On November 14, 1960, Ruby Bridges became the first African American child attending a white school and became nationally known.
Ruby Bridges and Barbara Henry. N.d. Ruby Bridges At School. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
Ruby Bridges. 2009. Web. 23 Feb. 2017.
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