Ruby Bridges

In 1960, the federal court ordered the desegregation of schools in the South. Some people believed that if enough people refused to cooperate with the federal court order, it could not be enforced. Some fired school employees who showed willingness to seek integration, they closed public schools rather than desegregate, and boycotted all public education that was integrated.

In the Spring of 1960, New Orleans was finally forced to desegregate and Ruby Bridges, as well as other black kindergartners, took a test. That following summer, Ruby’s parents found out that she passed the test and had been selected to attend first-grade at William Frantz Public School. There were six of them in total, two decided to stay in their own schools, three were assigned to McDonough, Ruby would be going to William Frantz alone.

At first, Ruby’s dad didn’t agree with Ruby going to an all-whites school and thought that blacks and whites would never be treated equally. Ruby’s mother thought differently. This was the opportunity for Ruby to get the best education for a better job later in life. Eventually, Ruby’s mother convinced her father that they needed to, “Take a step forward for her children, not just for her own, but for all black children.”

On November 14th, 1960, federal marshals drove Ruby Bridges and her mother the five blocks to William Frantz Public School in New Orleans. Federal Marshals had to take Ruby because the city and state police didn’t agree with mixing the white and black children and they wouldn’t protect her. As she entered the school showing no fear at all, the marshals beside her, and the screaming and shouting surrounding her, Ruby Bridges was the first black child to enter an all-white school in the history of the American South. Ruby was taking a small step for her family, but a giant leap for integration.

Ruby’s first day of school was spent the entire day sitting in the principle’s office. All the parents of Frantz Elementary took their kids out of school to protest the integration, thus resulting the class consisting of one child, not for the day, but for the rest of the year. Ruby, every single day went to school despite the protestors outside. Ignoring the chants, “ Two, four, six, eight, we don’t want to integrate!” and paying no mind to the signs that read, “ONLY WHITE STUDENTS BELONG HERE”. It was just her and Mrs. Henry every single day, one on one.

Mrs. Henry was one of the very few white instructors that was willing to teach a black child. Mrs. Henry taught class as if there were no angry mob outside, no conflict over a little black girl attending the first-grade.

Militant segregationists, as the news called them, took the streets in protest and caused riots all throughout the city. Although her parents tried to shield Ruby as best as they could, Ruby knew problems had come