lasting impacts
The Beginning
Ruby’s little steps as a first grader were a giant leap for this country. As the innocent age of six, little did Ruby know she was making one of the biggest changes in history. As a result of her actions, children both black and white, are now able to be friends, playing and learning with each other.
The Impact
In 1956, 49% of Americans believed that Blacks and Whites should attend schools together. After Ruby's famous historical walk in the 1960's, 62% of Americans believed that Blacks and Whites should go to school together. Many schools in a myriad of cities and states integrated due to the impact of Ruby as well. In 1961, the Universities of Georgia, Mississippi, and Alabama admitted several African American students to there classrooms. In 1963, for the first time, a small number of black students in Alabama, Mississippi, and Louisiana attended public elementary and secondary schools with white students. Finally, in 1968, the Supreme Court ordered states to demolish the segregated school system.
From her first grade year, she started the chain reaction that will eventually take away a plethora of discrimination towards Black Americans. Because of her courageous steps, African Americans received more and more of their civil rights. With Ruby as their “leader”, Black Americans were willing to fight for their rights once they saw they had equality in education. .
Apart from impacting many people and lifestyles, Ruby also had a huge inspiration on painters like Rockwell and writers such as John Steinbeck, but also academics including Harvard psychiatrist Robert Coles. Norman Rockwell, a painter most popular in the 1930s and 1940s, was inspired by Ruby's first day at Franz and painted an illustration called "The Problem We All Live With." Robert Coles wrote a children's picture book in 1995 about Ruby's story. It was published when she worked at the Franz Elementary School.
Apart from impacting many people and lifestyles, Ruby also had a huge inspiration on painters like Rockwell and writers such as John Steinbeck, but also academics including Harvard psychiatrist Robert Coles. Norman Rockwell, a painter most popular in the 1930s and 1940s, was inspired by Ruby's first day at Franz and painted an illustration called "The Problem We All Live With." Robert Coles wrote a children's picture book in 1995 about Ruby's story. It was published when she worked at the Franz Elementary School.
Still Making a difference
To this day, Ruby is still sharing her story all over the world and declaring that no one should judge by the appearance of a person but by the content of their character. Ruby Bridges truly is making our world a better place and has been since that very first day.