Ruby Bridges Biography

Ruby Bridges was born on September 8, 1954 in Tylertown Mississippi. Ruby is currently sixty-four years old. Her husband’s name is Malcolm and her children’s names are Craig, Sean, and Christopher Hall. Her mother and father’s names are Lucille and Abon. When she was only six years old she was the first African American child to attend an all white school. She helped different races come together in school so everyone got along equally. Ruby lived with her mom (Lucille), her dad (Abon) her grandparents and her other seven brothers and sisters.

Her family did not have a lot of money. When she was in kindergarten she was one of six African American students that got to take a test determining whether or not she got to enter William Frantz Elementary school. Her dad did not want her to take the test in the first place.

As she walked into the school, parents were protesting that she should not be there. They spit on her and threw things at her but luckily she had the marshals by her side. Her marshals would pick her up every morning, and take her home every afternoon. First grade was over and her first grade teacher Mrs. Henry could not go with her. Once second grade started she was on her own, no marshals. In 7th grade her mom and dad separated. They separated because her dad did not think Ruby should go to that school, but her mom thought it was better for Ruby. Once her mom and dad seperated her mom moved into a housing project, and her dad moved into an old house. After she finished high school she wished she would have gone to collage to have the education and experience. She spent all of her school years at New Orleans integrated schools. Ruby was the first African American to access an all white school.’ On her first day November 14, 1960 she spent the whole day in the principal’s office with her mother. That day parents were taking their kids home and they did not want them to go back until Ruby was gone. The next few months her mom would sit in the back of the classroom, and listen to how well Ruby would learn.

There was supposed to be six other African American students that were going to school with Ruby, but they dropped out. The school said she could not eat school food because she thought they would poison her. Every day they told her to look forward and not look at the angry crowd. After a while her mother had to go back to work so she could not go to school with her. Her mother told her to be strong. Her father had lost his job because Ruby was going to a white school. They did not want him to fix their cars. Her father was going to take her to school like her mother did but they would not let him. A few kids came back to her school but not a lot. She was going to make friends but people were rejecting her because of her race. At first she did not understand why they would not be her friend, but slowly she understood why.

Ruby had a strong personality that made people smile. When Ruby walked into school she did not hide, she walked strongly without looking down. Ruby was very strong, when she walked to school in second grade she was greeted by a lady with a black doll in a coffin. Ruby is also very courageous because she encouraged African Americans to go to white schools and to stand up to the people who didn’t want Ruby at William Frantz elementary school. Ruby is a very brave person because she did not turn back when people wanted her to.  

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