FYS The Fifties

The 1950’s was the beginning of the large and countrywide movement that was the civil rights movement. At the tail end of the decade, more and more violence towards black people was occurring, leading to protests and changes. One small little girl that contributed to the movement was Ruby Bridges. Ruby Bridges, born on September 8, 1954, was the first African American child to attend an all-white elementary school, William Frantz Elementary, in the south. She and her family lived in New Orleans, Louisiana. When she was six years old, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) asked her parents if they would be interested in volunteering Ruby to participate in the integration that was occurring in the New Orleans school system. Ruby was one of six black children that passed the test that determined whether or not the back children be able to go to the white school. Ruby was assigned William Frantz Elementary School while the other selected African American children went elsewhere. Ruby’s father was reluctant in letting her go to an all white school, but her mother strongly believed that this was a step needed to give her daughter a better education and to take a step forward for all African American children.

The first day of integrated schools in New Orleans was on November 14, 1960. There was a large crowd of people outside of the school shouting and throwing things. As a child, Bridges had believed they were celebrating Mardi Gras, as they were in New Orleans. As soon as Ruby entered the school system, parents took their children out and teachers refused to teach while a black child was enrolled. Barbara Henry, from Boston, Massachusetts, was the only person that agreed to teach Ruby. Mrs. Henry taught Ruby alone, however, she acted as if she were teaching a whole class. Each day, as Ruby walked to school, a woman would threaten to poison her. Due to this threat and many other safety concerns, Ruby was only allowed to eat food that she brought from home. Ruby began to pray, as suggested by her mother, on the way to school in order to find protection from the nasty comments being yelled at her on her morning and afternoon walks.

Because of sending Ruby to William Frantz Elementary, the Bridges family suffered greatly. Ruby’s father lost his job, the family was no longer allowed to shop at the grocery store they frequented, and her grandparents who were sharecroppers, were turned off their land. Despite the negativity, both white and black families showed their support in many ways. Some white families still sent their children to William Frantz despite the protests and her father was offered another job from their neighbor. Local people babysat for the family, watched the house as security, and walked behind the federal marshal’s car on the trips to school. The bravery of neighbors of both black and white skin shows the beginnings of a country that was attempting to move towards an equal way of life.

–Janelle P.