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Civil rights icon Ruby Bridges appears November 14 in Topeka

L. Dreeye October 21, 2024

Sixty-four years ago next month, U.S. Marshals escorted Ruby Bridges as the six-year-old walked past crowds of jeering white people and became one of the first black children to attend an all-white elementary school in the South.

The scene was made famous by Norman Rockwell’s 1964 painting “The Problem We All Live With,” which hung in the White House near the Oval Office during former President Barack Obama’s administration.

Bridges became a national symbol of the civil rights movement and was named one of USA Today’s “Women of the Century.”

Four years ago, an illustration went viral of Vice President Kamala Harris walking next to a wall as her shadow morphed into the silhouette of a Bridges girl.

On November 14, the 64th anniversary of the day she made history, Bridges will appear in Topeka.

When and where will Ruby Bridges appear in Topeka?

Bridges will appear from 11 a.m. to 12:45 p.m. Nov. 14 at Washburn University’s White Recital Hall, where hundreds of Kansas students are expected to meet her to celebrate the annual Kansas Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day.

Livestreams of the event will be available to schools across the state. More information on how schools can register to have students attend in person or view the video broadcast can be found at www.RubyBridgesinKS24.org.

“This is an incredible opportunity to literally bring history to life for our Kansas students,” said Randy Watson, Kansas Commissioner of Education. “Students can listen to Ms. Bridges describe her personal experiences in a way that goes beyond what any textbook can teach.”

Bridges joins the ranks of many key civil rights figures who visited Topeka, including Rosa Parks, Thurgood Marshall, Julian Bond and Jesse Jackson.

How did Ruby Bridges make history?

Bridges was born in 1954, the year of the landmark Supreme Court Board of Education ruling Brown v. Topeka that segregated public schools in the United States.

Four U.S. marshals accompanied Bridges and her mother on Nov. 14, 1960, when they entered William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, where Bridges was the first black student to enroll as part of court-ordered desegregation.

Bridges had to spend her first day in the principal’s office, and she spent her first year as the only participant in a private class taught by Barbara Henry, a white woman from Boston.

During this time, Bridges could not go to the cafeteria for lunch or exercise. Several white families defied the crowd and brought their children to class, but Bridges was not allowed to see them until the spring, when Henry brought them to class for part of the day.

What Ruby Bridges will be doing in Topeka

Now 70, Bridges is an author, speaker and civil rights advocate whose work includes teaching children to overcome racial divides.

In a press release announcing the appearance next month, organizers noted that Kansas celebrated Ruby Bridges’ first walk to school on Nov. 14, 2023, as announced by Gov. Laura Kelly and released by Bridges.

Organizers asked Bridges to join in person to celebrate the day, which falls on the 70th anniversary of the Brown v. Board of Education decision, organizers said in a news release.

“As our wonderful Kansas kids always do, they enthusiastically created an inspirational video that they sent to Ruby asking her to come to Kansas,” the post said. “Under the leadership of Senator Oleta Faust-Goudeau and her Proclamation SCR 1703, the Kansas Legislature joined our students in extending an invitation to Ms. Bridges. And Ruby Bridges said YES!”

The main goal of next month’s event will be to use Bridges’ story to inspire youth while promoting unity, courage and the ability of young people to drive positive change, said Kansas Rep. Valdenia Wynn, D-Kansas City, Kansas.

“We strive to ensure that students leave the event feeling stronger and more deeply connected to Kansas history and stories that reflect resilience, progress and the importance of standing up for what is right,” Wynn said in a press release.

How can my group become a sponsor?

Schools, clubs and church/community groups can register for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day even if their school is not participating in the Topeka event. The November 14 events at the White Concert Hall offer a variety of sponsorship packages, which remain available. in limited quantities and can be found online.

Sponsors will have the opportunity to meet Bridges after the event, the press release said.

It says sponsors include several Kansas legislators, the Kansas City Royals, Evergy, Johnson County Community College, Kansas Tourism and Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park.

Contact Tim Hrenchir at [email protected] or 785-213-5934.