Background
Ruby Bridges was born in Mississippi but moved to New Orleans at a young age. When she was born in 1954, discrimination and racism against African Americans was prevalent as Black Americans didn’t receive many of their civil rights. They were looked down upon by most white people and often looked at as if they had no value because of the color of their skin. At the time in New Orleans, most schools were segregated, meaning black children and white children were separated when they attended school. But it didn’t stay that way for long.
At Ruby’s first school, Johnson Lockett Elementary, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored people gave her class a test to see which students would qualify in going to one of the first integrated schools in New Orleans. This decision resulted from the Brown v. Board of Education case. In this case, one side was fighting for integration whereas the other opposed it. On December 12, 1953, Chief Justice Warren ruled against segregation. The Supreme Court slowly integrated segregated schools so schools could get used to the drastically changed system. But many states still were horrified of this idea of integration and didn't agree with the change. It took several years to fully accomplish integretion.