The first year
"The very next day upon arriving at the school the federal marshals escorted me to my classroom, and once I got there, the teacher was there. There were all these desks and no kids. And I actually thought I was early that day." -Ruby Bridges
After her first day at William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana, Ruby Bridges' struggles continued. In the Ruby Bridges book "Through My Eyes" she explained, "On the second day, my mother and I drove to school with the marshals. The crowd outside the building was ready. Racists spat at us and shouted things like, 'Go home nigger' and 'No niggers allowed here.' One woman screamed at me, 'I'm going to poison you. I'll find a way.' That lady made the same threat every morning. I tried not to pay attention." On her third day, she remembered her mother assuring her, "The marshals will take good care of you, Ruby Nell. And remember, if you get afraid, say your prayers. You can pray to God anytime, anywhere. He will always hear you."
During an interview on February 18, 1997 between Ruby Hall Bridges and Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Ruby Bridges explained, "My mother and I in the principal’s office. And we sat there all day because we were not able to go to class because all of this was going on. So I actually didn’t attend class until the very next day" answered Bridges. Then, Hunter-Gault asked, "And what happened then?" Bridges said, "The very next day upon arriving at the school the federal marshals escorted me to my classroom, and once I got there, the teacher was there. There were all these desks and no kids. And I actually thought I was early that day." Later in the interview, Hunter-Gault said, "You went to school every day." Ruby Bridges response was, "Yes." When asked to clarify, Ruby explained "Every day I went to school. My teacher [Barbara Henry], who was actually from Boston, accepted that job not knowing that the schools were going to be integrated that day. But she taught me, and every day I would arrive. She would greet me, take me to my classroom, and it was just her and I." Then Hunter-Gault questioned, "And she would teach you as if she were teaching a whole class?" "Exactly" Bridges responded.
Ruby Bridges remained alone her entire first year at William Frantz Elementary taught by Barbara Henry, the only one willing to teach her. Barbara Henry recalled her first moments with Ruby on June 27, 2014. She explained, "My first moments with Ruby are as clear today as they were then. This beautiful little black girl, all dressed in pink. The only clue she was going to school and not to a party was she had her school bag and lunchbox. When kids are shy, they raise their heads a little bit. But enough for me to see her beautiful brown eyes and magnetic smile. I just fell in love with Ruby. How could your heart not be taken by a scene like that? We walked upstairs to begin our long, solitary, and wonderful journey. Our only classmates were the federal marshals at the door." Barbara Henry also recounted her experiences with Ruby. She told Scott Helman, a Globe Magazine staff writer, "I was the gym teacher, the music teacher. We sang 'Davy Crockett.' We’d do jumping jacks and pretend jumping rope. And I was just so certain I would give Ruby everything I could to help her become a skilled reader. We created our own oasis of love and learning. We each had hearts free of prejudice. That was the bond that united us and has become indomitable all these many years later." Barbara Henry and Ruby Bridges created their own little world full of love, away from the protesters and racism in their society. "We were a team" Barbara explained.
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Ruby and Barbara. 1960. Louisiana. Ruby Bridges. Web. 26 Feb. 2017.
"We walked upstairs to begin our long, solitary, and wonderful journey. Our only classmates were the federal marshals at the door." - Barbara Henry |
"The abuse wasn't limited to only Ruby Bridges; her family suffered as well. Her father lost his job at the filling station, and her grandparents were sent off the land they had sharecropped for over 25 years. The grocery store where the family shopped banned them from entering. However, many others in the community, both black and white, began to show support in a variety of ways. Gradually, many families began to send their children back to the school and the protests and civil disturbances seemed to subside as the year went on. A neighbor provided Ruby's father with a job, while others volunteered to babysit the four children, watch the house as protectors, and walk behind the federal marshals on the trips to school."