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Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka
The U.S. Supreme Court rules unanimously that "separate but equal" public schools violated the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. See the first link below for a middle/high school-level version of the text or the second link for a fifth-grade version:
https://newsela.com/read/primary-source-brown-vs-board/id/18472/
https://newsela.com/read/primary-source-brown-vs-board/id/18486/ -
Ruby Bridges is born
Lucille and Abron Bridges welcome their first child, a baby daughter, to the family on September 8th, 1954 in Tylertown, Mississippi. They name her Ruby Nell Bridges. -
Brown II dictates some terms of school integration
Issued by Chief Justice Earl Warren, Brown II attempts to set the parameters for integration. Unfortunately, vagueness of wording allows states to stall the process. -
Ruby Bridges Passes Entry Exam
To stall integration, school districts require Black students pass an exam before they can attend formerly all-white schools. Bridges is among 5 students who pass the exam, and the Bridges family decides that Ruby will attend William Frantz Elementary School. She will be the only Black student to do so that year. To hear from Ruby Bridges' mother, Lucille, see the link below:
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/11/933854762/lucille-bridges-mother-of-anti-segregation-icon-ruby-bridges-dies-at-86 -
Ruby Bridges' First Day at William Frantz Elementary
Ruby Bridges attends William Frantz Elementary for the first time. She is met with a crowd of protestors, some of whom hold up a Black baby doll in a coffin. Bridges must be escorted by U.S. Marshals to ensure her safety. The only teacher who will teach her is Barbara Henry, who continues to teach Ruby one-on-one for the remainder of the school year. See below for a short video about Ruby Bridges:
https://www.pbs.org/wnet/african-americans-many-rivers-to-cross/video/ruby-bridges-goes-to-school/ -
Norman Rockwell's "The Problem We All Live With" is published
Norman Rockwell paints "The Problem We All Live With", as a commentary on segregation and racism. It is published in LOOK Magazine. The painting is a view from Ruby's height, with Ruby following faceless federal marshals past a wall with graffiti and the remnants of a flung tomato. See below for more:
https://www.kennedy-center.org/education/resources-for-educators/classroom-resources/media-and-interactives/media/visual-arts/norman-rockwell--the-problem-we-all-live-with/ -
Disney Releases Ruby Bridges Movie
Written by Tori Ann Johnson and directed by Euzhan Palcy, this movie follows Ruby Bridges in her experience with racism at such a young age and the love of her parents that helped to guide her through it. -
The Ruby Bridges Foundation is founded
Ruby Bridges founds the organization that bears her name to promote values of tolerance, respect, and appreciation for differences through education. Their website can be found at the link below:
https://rubybridges.foundation/ *The picture used for this entry was taken the year prior to the founding of the Ruby Bridges Foundation, in 1998. The white woman in the picture is Barbara Henry, Bridges' former teacher, with whom she did speaking engagements for a short time. -
Ruby Bridges Releases First Book
Ruby Bridges releases Through My Eyes, the story of her experiences as she saw them for fifth- through seventh-grade students. -
Ruby Bridges Made Honorary US Deputy Marshal
Bridges is presented with a US Deputy Marshal's badge and certificate in a ceremony at the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C., where the Rockwell painting of her is kept. The former Deputy Attorney General said that "the small steps of a little girl were a giant leap forward for this nation," and that "Her brave act gave many a sense of equality." The former Director of the Marshals service thanked her "for (her) inspiration and we thank (her) for (her) courage." -
Ruby Bridges Awarded Presidential Citizens Medal
President Bill Clinton presents a Presidential Citizens Medal to Ruby Bridges for her bravery in the face of adversity and her efforts to continue to bring to bring "a message of love, faith, and acceptance to a new generation of Americans." For more details about the medal and/or the other recipients, see the link below:
https://clintonwhitehouse5.archives.gov/WH/new/html/Mon_Jan_8_141714_2001.html -
Ruby Bridges Releases Second Book
Ruby Bridges releases Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story, the story of her experiences as told for preschool through third-grade readers. -
Barack Obama honors Ruby Bridges
As the fiftieth anniversary of Ruby Bridges' famous walk drew near, President Barack Obama invites Bridges to to visit the White House. He is quoted as telling her "I think it's fair to say that if it wasn't for you guys, I wouldn't be here today" and "I cannot begin to tell you what an honor it is to welcome you into this White House under this administration." See below for a video of Obama and Bridges looking at the Rockwell painting of Bridges:
https://youtu.be/BCsJ-24MdZc -
Statue at William Frantz Elementary Dedicated
A statue of Ruby Bridges is dedicated at William Frantz Elementary School, where she made her entrance into history. -
Ruby Bridges Releases Children's Book
Ruby Bridges writes and releases This Is Your Time, a letter to young people fighting for racial equality in the form of a children's book. To read or listen to Bridges talking about her experiences, see the link below:
https://www.npr.org/2020/11/07/932091148/60-years-later-ruby-bridges-tells-her-story-in-this-is-your-time -
Ruby Bridges Interview with USA TODAY
Ruby Bridges is named one of USA TODAY's Women of the Century. She is interviewed about her experiences and how her views of them have changed over time. See the link below for the USA TODAY article containing the interview with Ruby Bridges:
https://www.usatoday.com/in-depth/life/women-of-the-century/2020/08/12/19th-amendment-ruby-bridges-now-teaches-kids-racism-and-peace/5555100002/ -
First National Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day
Begun after a group of elementary students from South San Francisco hear the story of Ruby Bridges in 2018 and push for a day to commemorate her courage, Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day has spread from a local effort to a national one. -
I Am Ruby Bridges Release
Ruby Bridges' next picture book is set to release in September of 2022. She says this of the work:
“I Am Ruby Bridges is my most personal book yet. It’s not just about my experience integrating schools. It’s also about the innocent ways that a child sees the world. Writing as my six-year-old self reminded me how differently kids interpret things than adults do. Children are much better at finding humor in everything, and even in times of great challenge, that’s what this book really does."