Ruby bridges biography awards ceremony
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Ruby Bridges was born on September 8, 1954, in Tylertown, Mississippi, the oldest of farmers Lucille and Abon Bridges’ five children. When she was 2 years old, her family moved to New Orleans in search of a better life. Perhaps it is no coincidence that 1954 also marked Brown v. Board of Education, the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark ruling that ended racial segregation in public schools.
Southern states continued to resist integration, and in 1959, Bridges attended a segregated New Orleans kindergarten. A year later, a federal court ordered Louisiana to desegregate. The city of New Orleans responded by creating entrance exams for African American students to see whether they could compete academically. Though Ruby was among the six students who passed the test, her parents debated sending her to the all-white William Frantz Elementary School, knowing that families and students were unlikely to welcome Blacks. But her mother convinced her father to let Ruby attend—she should have
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Keynote speaker Ruby Bridges encourages Tulane’s Class of 2021 to look to a brighter future
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Keith Brannonkbrannon@tulane.edu
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Tulane University saluted the Class of 2021 with a virtual Unified Commencement on Saturday featuring civil rights icon Ruby Bridges that had all the hallmarks of a classic Tulane graduation — inspiring speakers, rousing musical performances and a New Orleans second-line sendoff.
Bridges, who integrated New Orleans public schools as a first-grader in 1960, told graduates that history challenges everyone to meet the moment — no matter the obstacles in their path.
“Make no mistake about it, there came a time when inom became aware of the hate that surrounded me as a child. Yet, the opportunity to change a struktur was more powerful,” she said.
“Class of 2021, opportunity comes packaged in many boxes and it often shows up with no return address. The sender is history, and she does not accept returns.”
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Ruby Bridges
(1954-)
Who Is Ruby Bridges?
Ruby Bridges was six when she became the first African American child to integrate a white Southern elementary school. On November 14, 1960, she was escorted to class by her mother and U.S. marshals due to violent mobs. Bridges' brave act was a milestone in the civil rights movement, and she's shared her story with future generations in educational forums.
Early Life
Ruby Nell Bridges was born on September 8, 1954, in Tylertown, Mississippi. She grew up on the farm her parents and grandparents sharecropped in Mississippi.
When she was four years old, her parents, Abon and Lucille Bridges, moved to New Orleans, hoping for a better life in a bigger city.
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.
Education and Facts
The fact that Bridges was born the same year that the Supreme Court handed d