Black History Month Feature: Ruby Bridges

Ruby Nell Bridges was the first African-American child to attend a white elementary school. She was born Sept. 8, 1954 and grew up on the farm her parents and grandparents shared in Mississippi. When she was four years old, her parents, Abon and Lucille Bridges, moved to New Orleans, hoping for a better life. Her father got a job as a gas station attendant and her mother took night jobs to help support their growing family. Soon, young Bridges had two younger brothers and a younger sister.

In school, Bridges passed the entrance exam to attend a white school. When she integrated to an all-white school at the age of 6, she was escorted to class by her mother and U.S Marshals  due to threats for the entire year. Bridges’ brave act played a major role in the Civil Rights movement. Bridges was also born the same year as the Brown v. The Board of Education supreme court case, which paved the way for her activism in the civil rights movement.