Ruby Bridges' Legacy: The Lessons America Still Hasn't Learned
What Ruby Bridges Taught Us: The Lessons America Still Hasn’t Learned
It has been 65 years since Ruby Bridges, now 71, made history by stepping into William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. In 1960, Ruby Bridges opened up the doors for millions of Black children around the world when she fearlessly walked into William Frantz Elementary School. She was the first Black student to integrate the New Orleans public school, walking past outraged white parents and students with her head held high and marking a new chapter in the fight for equality.
On Nov. 14, 1960, when Ruby Bridges was just 6 years old, she unknowingly became an icon of the Civil Rights Movement sweeping across the country. The first-grader made history when she became the first Black child to integrate William Frantz Elementary School, an all-white elementary school in the American South.
Ruby Bridges did not know she would become a historymaker in 1960.
Accompanied by her mother, Lucille, and protected by federal marshals, Ruby faced a mob of angry white protesters who hurled racial slurs and threw food at her as she entered the school.
“My parents didn’t try to explain it to me,” Ruby shared with People in 2020. Instead, all she remembers hearing was, “You’re going to a new school today, and you better behave.”
What Ruby didn’t realize at the time was how far-reaching the impact of her courage would be.
“In my tiny mind, I thought this was just something that happened on my street and in my community,” she said. “I didn’t realize that it was a part of a much broader movement.”
As NewsOne previously reported, the Bridges family moved to New Orleans in search of better opportunities. Born in 1954—the same year as the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision—Ruby grew up during the slow, often violent process of desegregating schools. By 1960, a federal judge ordered New Orleans public schools to integrate. Ruby was one of only five Black children to pass a discriminatory entrance exam created to limit integration.
“I’ve been told that it was set up so that kids would have a hard time passing,” Bridges wrote in her 1999 memoir Through My Eyes. “If all the Black children had failed, the White school board might have had a way to keep the schools segregated for a while longer.”
Thanks to her strong exam scores and support from the NAACP, she was assigned to William Frantz Elementary, but her experience there was anything but easy. White parents immediately withdrew their children, and teachers refused to teach Bridges. In a 2024 interview with Stephen Colbert, Ruby Bridges revealed she was the only student in her class for the entire year. Despite threats and harassment, she never missed a single day.
Why her story still matters.
Ruby Bridges’ legacy remains deeply relevant as America continues to confront issues of race and equality. Her story teaches us important lessons about courage, justice, and the ongoing fight for equality. It shows that racism is not just a relic of the past; it is still used to hold back marginalized communities who strive to succeed and claim their right to equal opportunity.
Today, inequality remains deeply ingrained in many aspects of life, from schools to workplaces, creating barriers that are difficult to overcome. Events like the rollback of affirmative action, the student loan crisis, and the erasure of diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) programs demonstrate that the struggles Ruby faced are far from over, and that her example still calls on all of us to challenge these unfair systems.
Notably, in 2023, a Florida school district temporarily banned the 1998 Disney film Ruby Bridges from North Shore Elementary school in St. Petersburg, Florida, after a parent claimed it taught children about “racial slurs” and suggested it implied “white people hate black people,” according to MadameNoire. Despite being approved with permission slips, the film was halted while a review committee evaluated its use.
Thankfully, the school’s committee ultimately voted to continue showing the movie with no restrictions, and the film remains available through the district’s library, according to 10 Tampa Bay. However, the ban sent a clear signal that we have much progress ahead as a nation when it comes to race, and it will be a gradual incline.
Where is Ruby Bridges today?
That’s why at 71, Ruby Bridges remains a powerful advocate for educational equity. Through the Ruby Bridges Foundation, she continues her lifelong commitment to civil rights, providing programs that empower young people to build a more inclusive and peaceful future. The foundation focuses on mentorship, educational outreach, and resources for teachers. Bridges also remains an active public speaker and a prominent voice in the ongoing fight for racial equality in education.
Ruby Bridges hosts her annual Walk to School Day event each year to share her story with children.
Today, Ruby Bridges continues to educate and inspire by sharing her story through her annual Walk to School Day initiative, which commemorates the movement she helped spark. Through this effort, students are encouraged to continue the conversation and engage in their own forms of activism to help end racism and all forms of bullying.
In 2024, nearly 700,000 young people across the nation participated, coming together to share stories of inspiration and discuss how they, too, can make a meaningful impact. United in purpose, they took a stand to promote courage, kindness, and positive change in their communities.
“This day is a day of dialogue, making sure we come up with an idea of how to make your community better…anything you can act on. Activism. It means we must act,” Bridges said in a video posted Oct. 13.
This year, Bridges will make a virtual visit to a school she has hand-picked to observe how they participate in their community on Walk to School Day.
Outside of activism, Ruby Bridges is also an author. This year, the civil rights icon released a children’s book titled Ruby Bridges: A Talk with My Teacher. In it, Ruby Bridges shares the touching story of reuniting with Mrs. Henry, the first-grade teacher who profoundly changed her life.
SEE MORE:
KCK GOP Says No To Ruby Bridges Holiday
New Children’s Book To Capture Ruby Bridges’ Story
What Ruby Bridges Taught Us: The Lessons America Still Hasn’t Learned was originally published on newsone.com
