WHEREAS, On November 14, 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges was one of six
Black
children to pass the test that determined whether they could go to the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, LA; and
WHEREAS, Of the six children who passed the test, two of the children decided to stay at their old
school, and Ruby Bridges went to William Frantz Elementary School by herself, as the only African
American student to attend the school; and
WHEREAS, E
veryday
U.S.
Marshals
had to escort young Ruby and her mother to school where a crowd
of people who didn’t want her at the school accosted her; and
WHEREAS, As soon as Ruby Bridges entered the school, white parents pulled their own children out, and all the teachers except one refused to teach while a black child was enrolled in the school; and
WHEREAS, Barbara Henry, originally from Boston, MA was the only teacher that would teach Ruby
Bridges and for the entire year Ms. Henry taught Ruby Bridges alone in the classroom; and
WHEREAS, There were threats to poison Ruby’s food, so the U.S.
Marshals
assigned to protect her only
allowed her to eat food brought from home; and
WHEREAS, The threats to Ruby extended to her family as well. Her father lost his job and the grocery
store where the family shopped would no longer let them shop there, and her grandparents who were
sharecroppers in Mississippi, were turned off their land; and
WHEREAS, Despite the threats and protests, the Bridges family was determined to keep sending Ruby to
school; she didn’t miss a single day of class that year; and
WHEREAS, Over time other African American students enrolled into William Frantz Elementary School,
and many years later Ruby Bridges’ four nieces attended the school made famous by their brave Aunt
Ruby; and
WHEREAS, In 1964 artist Norman Rockwell celebrated Ruby Bridges’ courage with a painting of
Ruby’s first day of school entitled “The Problem We All Live With”; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Bridges went on to graduate from a
desegregated
high school, became a travel agent,
married and raised a family. Ms. Bridges also wrote
several
books about her experiences as a child, and she
received the Carter G. Woodson Book Award for her work; and
WHEREAS, In 1999 Ruby Bridges established The Ruby Bridges Foundation to promote tolerance and
create change through education and in 2000, Ms. Bridges was made an honorary deputy marshal in a
ceremony in Washington, D.C.; and
WHEREAS, In 2001 Ruby Bridges was awarded the United States Presidential Citizens Medal for her bravery and service to our nation; and
WHEREAS, Ruby Bridges has asserted that, “Racism is a grown-up disease, and we must stop using our children to spread it”; and
WHEREAS, Students from The Bache-Martin School, Nebinger Elementary School, Emlen Elementary School, Logan Elementary and Southwark Elementary School are all walking to school in honor of Ruby Bridges
WHEREAS, Every year on November 14th students, staff, and teachers at
participating schools
honor Ms. Bridges and the courage she carried to walk through the doors of William Franz Elementary
School in 1960 by gathering before school begins, and families are asked to line up and walk through
the school’s gates while teachers, staff, and families welcome the students with words of love and
encouragement to start the day
. now, therefore, be it,
RESOLVED, THAT THE COUNCIL OF THE
CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, Recognizes
November 14th,
as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day in
the City of Philadelphia.
End