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Ruby Bridges

On Bridges’ first day at William Frantz Ele­men­tary, she had to be accom­pa­nied by U.S. Marshals. Protests from white parents and offi­cials led to concerns for her safety. In fact, “...White parents in Louisiana vehemently protested the idea, and school boards and poli­ticians sought to block desegregation in the state,” (Devlin 2020). Once let into the school, Bridges was brought to the principal’s office immediately. She recalls that, “...The crowd that was outside, they immediately rushed in behind me. They started to run into every class, and they took every child out of school. So, by the end of that day, 500 kids… were taken out,” (Bridges 2024). She mused that her entire first day was spent in the principal’s office.

Upon attending the once all-white school for the first time, Bridges not only faced blatant discrimination but was also the only student in her class. Her teacher, Barbara Henry, was a white woman from Boston. She solely taught Bridges for the entirety of first grade. Many years later, Bridges’ spoke highly of Henry and remarked that “Even though she looked exactly like people outside the school, she showed me her heart,” (Bridges 2015). Despite these circumstances, Bridges never once missed a day of school. She was escorted each day by both her mother and U.S. Marshals (Smith 2021).

The racism she faced each day while attending school took on various forms: many white students’ parents chose to homeschool them, objects were thrown at her, and, perhaps most harrowing, Bridges recalls being “greeted” by a woman displaying a black doll in a wooden coffin (Hilbert College n.d.). Additionally, Bridges could not partake in communal spaces such as the cafeteria (she brought her own lunch for fear of being poisoned) or the playground (she often played inside with her teacher), and when she needed to use the bathroom, she was accompanied by a U.S. Marshall (Rose, 2021; Hilbert College n.d.).

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