Ruby Bridges
This is the young Ruby Bridges. This is how Ruby looked when she first attended William Frantz Elementary School. Young Ruby was six years old when she first attended this school and made such a large impact.
Full Name: Ruby Nell Bridges (Hall is after she got married)) (AKA: Ruby Bridges)
Date of Birth: September 8, 1954
Place of Birth: Tylertown, Mississippi
Parents: Lucile Bridges, Abon Bridges
Religion: Christian
What made her a Creative Person: Ruby Nell Bridges Hall was known as the first negro child to attend an all-white elementary school. She did not know what she was doing at the time and she did not figure it out until many years after college but Ruby Bridges changed our schools forever. She helped us understand that we should not be judged by our skin color because we are all equal.
Date of Birth: September 8, 1954
Place of Birth: Tylertown, Mississippi
Parents: Lucile Bridges, Abon Bridges
Religion: Christian
What made her a Creative Person: Ruby Nell Bridges Hall was known as the first negro child to attend an all-white elementary school. She did not know what she was doing at the time and she did not figure it out until many years after college but Ruby Bridges changed our schools forever. She helped us understand that we should not be judged by our skin color because we are all equal.
Early Life
Ruby Nell Bridges Hall grew up in Tylertown, Mississippi with her mom Lucile and her dad Abon. Her parents were not making a very reasonable amount of money to help Ruby live a nice healthy life. Lucile and Abon thought that they should move somewhere where Ruby would live a nice life. The family moved away to New Orleans, Louisiana.When Ruby turned six years old, her mother and her father responded to a request from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored people.(NAACP) This is a test that the colored take to see how intelligent they are. Young Ruby scored the highest score compared to all the other second graders. She and five other children would be sent to an all-white school in different areas. Ruby's mom had to talk her father into letting his baby girl go into an all-white school. Abon knew that there would be trouble with the white people not wanting Ruby to go to their school. Ruby went to school the first day with her mom and they were escorted by U.S Marshals. They arrived to the school and were 'greeted' by an angry mob. As a matter of fact a women started to threat Ruby because she did not want her child to go a school with a negro. Some people started calling little Ruby a Gigaboo. They were calling Ruby an animal. The women gave Ruby different threats Ruby one day, she did exactly what the U.S Marshals told her to do. Ruby turned around and looked at the people She was talking, it looked like she was talking to them but Ruby was praying for them. She was asking God to take care of the people because they do not know what they are doing, that she knew that they were just mad. Ruby went through a lot. A mom put a black doll in a wooden coffin and threatened Ruby that that is what she would do to her. One day a women threatened to poison in her food. After that Ruby would not eat anything that was not from a new, just opened bag because she was afraid that anything that has been opened already been open might just have been poisoned. At school Ruby would not eat anything. When her teacher left the room Ruby would hide the food in a cabinet. Then Ruby started seeing a therapist. He would talk to Ruby every week to see how things were going. Eventually Ruby started eating again. More students started coming back to school. The teachers did this thing where everyday for half of the class the students from one teacher would go to ruby's class and do activities with her. Eventually everyone became good friends with ruby.
Journal
November 14, 1960
Dear Journal,
Today I started a new school. This morning it was scary. These two big men came to our house and told us to get in a car. They took me and my mom to school. When we got to school today there was a huge group of people there. Most of them were women. I think that they were mommy's. When we were in the school we were sent to the principals office. When i was in the office there were a lot of moms coming in to take their children out of school. The whole day we spent it it the office. I am so happy that my mommy brought some lunch. i was so tired because all we did was sit there. by the end of the school day not a single child was in the school. i was wondering why. Well, the whole day i was wondering why i was going to a new school. For some reason I was the only child in that school that was different.
Love, Ruby
November 15,1960
Dear Journal,
This is my second day at school and those big men came back. The good thing is today was about the same as yesterday but instead today i did not go straight to the office, today the principal introduced me to my new teacher. She is very kind and she is not the sane color as me. She took me to her classroom. My mom came with us. Today in class Mrs. Henry, that is my teachers name, she told me to make out as many words that i can with the one word CHRISTMAS. I came up with a lot very fast. My mommy and Mrs. Henry started talking and all of a sudden you can here people screaming things from outside. Mrs. Henry ran to the window to try to shut it. She was having trouble so my mommy helped her. Today was a whole lot better than yesterday.
Love, Ruby
November 22,1960
Dear Journal,
Today my mommy could not come to school with me so I had to go all by myself. I got dresses in my nice white outfit. When i got to school that same women that were here every day since I started, they just kept on yelling. Everyday once I get out of that car I start praying for them. I tell god to forgive these women and men for what they are doing. I know that they are mad but they don't know what they are doing. There is this one women who keeps on saying really mean things to me. I really just don't understand if i did something wrong or not. I overheard that this women in the crowd threatened to kill me. She brought this wooden box and put a little black doll in it. I ran inside and ran to Mrs. henry. Today was honestly not a good day at all. :-(
Love, Ruby
Dear Journal,
Today I started a new school. This morning it was scary. These two big men came to our house and told us to get in a car. They took me and my mom to school. When we got to school today there was a huge group of people there. Most of them were women. I think that they were mommy's. When we were in the school we were sent to the principals office. When i was in the office there were a lot of moms coming in to take their children out of school. The whole day we spent it it the office. I am so happy that my mommy brought some lunch. i was so tired because all we did was sit there. by the end of the school day not a single child was in the school. i was wondering why. Well, the whole day i was wondering why i was going to a new school. For some reason I was the only child in that school that was different.
Love, Ruby
November 15,1960
Dear Journal,
This is my second day at school and those big men came back. The good thing is today was about the same as yesterday but instead today i did not go straight to the office, today the principal introduced me to my new teacher. She is very kind and she is not the sane color as me. She took me to her classroom. My mom came with us. Today in class Mrs. Henry, that is my teachers name, she told me to make out as many words that i can with the one word CHRISTMAS. I came up with a lot very fast. My mommy and Mrs. Henry started talking and all of a sudden you can here people screaming things from outside. Mrs. Henry ran to the window to try to shut it. She was having trouble so my mommy helped her. Today was a whole lot better than yesterday.
Love, Ruby
November 22,1960
Dear Journal,
Today my mommy could not come to school with me so I had to go all by myself. I got dresses in my nice white outfit. When i got to school that same women that were here every day since I started, they just kept on yelling. Everyday once I get out of that car I start praying for them. I tell god to forgive these women and men for what they are doing. I know that they are mad but they don't know what they are doing. There is this one women who keeps on saying really mean things to me. I really just don't understand if i did something wrong or not. I overheard that this women in the crowd threatened to kill me. She brought this wooden box and put a little black doll in it. I ran inside and ran to Mrs. henry. Today was honestly not a good day at all. :-(
Love, Ruby
Video
Here is a video that shows Ruby explaining how she felt .
Click on the following link to see this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajE9G4aUJRA)
Click on the following link to see this video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ajE9G4aUJRA)