Ruby Bridges was born on September 8, 1954, in Tylertown, Mississippi. When she was just four years old, her family moved to New Orleans in search of better opportunities.
At the age of six, Ruby became part of a historic moment. After the 1954 Supreme Court ruling in Brown v. Board of Education that required schools to desegregate, Ruby was selected to take a test to see if she could attend an all-white school. She was one of only six students who passed. Her parents, Abon and Lucille Bridges, decided to send her to the all-white William Frantz Elementary School, hoping she would receive a better education.
On November 14, 1960, Ruby became the first African American child to attend the all-white school. She and her mother were escorted by federal marshals for her safety. As they walked to the school, two marshals walked in front of Ruby and two behind her. This powerful moment was famously captured by artist Norman Rockwell in his painting The Problem We All Must Live With, which is now displayed in the White House.
Ruby faced unimaginable hatred and racism every day. Many parents kept their children home to protest, and people outside the school hurled insults and objects at her. Police set up barricades for her protection, and one woman even greeted Ruby by holding up a black doll in a wooden coffin. Inside, Ruby was isolated—her teacher, Barbara Henry, was the only one who agreed to teach her, and Ruby was the only student in the class because the other children had been pulled out. She wasn’t allowed to eat in the cafeteria or go outside for recess with the other kids, and when she needed to use the restroom, a marshal had to escort her.
Outside of school, Ruby and her family faced even more discrimination. But as the year went on, more families began sending their children back to school, and the protests slowly died down. By the time Ruby returned for her second year at William Frantz, the situation had improved. She no longer needed federal marshals to escort her, and she was finally able to join a full class of students.
Ruby Bridges had become a trailblazer, opening the doors for other African American children to attend previously segregated schools. Her courage and resilience helped pave the way for future generations.
