As a young student, Ruby Bridges displayed immense courage and bravery in 1960 by facing down a mob of segregationists outside her elementary school in New Orleans, Louisiana. As a result, she led the charge for integration in the Deep South, becoming the first African American child to integrate an all-white elementary school in the region.
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To teach your students more about Ruby Bridges, check out this free activity guide. Here a few more facts you and your students may or may not know about this famous civil rights icon:
1. In 1960, Ruby Bridges was only six years old when she integrated her new elementary school in New Orleans.
2. Federal Marshals had to protect Bridges when she entered the school.
3. Bridges was the only student at school that day. White parents didn't send their children to school and many white teachers walked out in protest. Bridges did not have class that first day.
4. The next day a white teacher began teaching her. Bridges was the only student at the school for the rest of the year.
5. When Bridges began second grade, her school was completely integrated.
6. Growing up, Bridges continued to advance civil rights causes and even started a foundation to promote social justice and racial harmony.
7. In 2001, President Bill Clinton presented her with the Presidential Citizens Medal.
Share Books About Ruby Bridges
If you’re looking for a few additional stories to help your students learn about Bridges' life and understand what segregation and inequality once looked like in America, these titles are a great place to start:
- The Story of Ruby Bridges: Provide young readers with a glimpse into the life of Bridges and what she and her family had to endure to fully integrate her elementary school. It wasn’t just walking into her school that first day that led to integration, it was Bridges' courage and determination to return to school each day that sparked change.
- Through My Eyes: Explore another account of Bridges' story, shared in her own words. By reading, your students will gain a better understanding of the prejudice and discrimination Bridges faced as a young child in the Deep South, and the courage and bravery she had to tap in order to overcome those barriers to equal rights.
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As a follow-up to their reading, consider this Ruby Bridges: Text & Organizer to help students reflect on the life of Ruby Bridges and learn more about the themes, main ideas, and vocabulary critical to the civil rights movement.
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