Every child deserves the right to an education💙

This is Ruby Bridges. The first black student to enter into a former whites-only school in Louisiana on November 14, 1960. Ruby had to be escorted by US Marshalls for her safety. She was the only child in a classroom by herself for two years. The other parents protested her presence and would threaten her as she walked to school every morning. She had to take her own lunch from home due to threats of poisoning her food. Her father was fired from his job and the family was not allowed to shop in the local supermarket. Even Ruby’s grandparents in Mississippi suffered because of the decision of her parents to send her to school. Her parents eventually separated due to the stress and hardship that was put on their relationship. 

Ruby Bridges is still involved in activism today. She fights for civil rights by running a foundation in her name and has authored several books, mostly aimed at children. She recently appeared on the Today show to showcase her newest children’s book, “Ruby Bridges: A Talk With My Teacher,” which she calls a love letter to her teacher Barbara Henry who got her through her first year of school at William- Frantz Elementary.