This is a complete biography on Ruby Bridges.
Ruby Bridges |
Early Life Ruby Bridges was born on September 8, 1954, as the oldest of five children. At two years old, her family moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, in search of better work opportunities.
Reality for Black Students in the 1950sBridges was born during the same year as Brown v. Board of Education, a famous Supreme Court case that made racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional. However, despite this court ruling, many schools continued to separate students based on race, forcing Black students to attend inferior institutions and giving them fewer opportunities for success.
Ruby is the Only OneBridges attended segregated kindergarten in New Orleans. A year later, federal courts ordered New Orleans’ schools to desegregate. To circumvent these laws, schools wrote challenging entrance exams that black students had to pass to prove they were at the same academic level as white students. Ruby Bridges passed the exam along with five other students, gaining admission to the all-white William Franz Elementary School. Bridges, however, was the only one who ended up going to William Franz; two students decided to stay at their old school, and the other three were sent to another all-white school.
The Shocking First DayBridges’ first day of school was like no other. Ruby and her mother were escorted to school by four federal marshals and fought through crowds of people screaming racial slurs and protesting her admission. Bridges later commented that the only moment that scared her throughout the protests was the sight of a woman holding a black baby doll in a coffin. Her first day at school was spent solely in the principal’s office due to the commotion caused by white parents pulling their children out of the school. She sat in a class of one with Barbara Henry, the only teacher who accepted her into the classroom; she ate lunch alone and played with her teacher at recess.
PerseveranceBridges’ family suffered, too; her father lost his job and grocery stores refused to sell to her mother. Despite the oppression the Bridges family faced for nothing more than getting their daughter an education, Ruby Bridges never missed a day of school.
The Effect and Legacy of Ruby's BraveryOver time, other Black students enrolled at the school, including Bridges’ four nieces. Ruby Bridges helped pave the way for racial integration in schools, dealing with severe racism and continuing to push for her right to learn. She wrote about her experiences in two books and won the Carter G. Woodson Award; she also established the Ruby Bridges Foundation in 1999 to promote tolerance and push for change via education.
Ruby Bridges Activities (Mostly Grades 4-7)
- Ruby Bridges Activity Bundle (On Teachers Pay Teachers)This packet includes all of the printables below in a single bundle and comes with an answer sheet. Only $2.25! It's a great and convenient way to support MrNussbaum.com. Remember that all of our bundles are FREE when you subscribe to MrN365.com. These are worth hundreds of dollars.
- Ruby Bridges Printable Reading Comprehension - This resource includes a historical passage and ten multiple choice questions.
- Ruby Bridges Printable Online Reading Comprehension - This resource includes a historical passage and ten multiple choice questions. It gives immediate feedback and a detailed score report.
- Ruby Bridges Online Correct-me Passage - This fun activity requires students to correct a passage about the life of Ruby Bridges that has eight factual errors. Students first must discover the errors, then click on them and select the correct answer from the drop down menu.
- Ruby Bridges Online Fact or Fiction - This fun activity requires students to read a Ruby Bridges passage and then, to sort 11 statements into those that are facts and those that are fiction. The program gives immediate feedback.
- Ruby Bridges Online Fact or Fiction - Printable - This fun activity requires students to read a Ruby Bridges passage and then, to sort 11 statements into those that are facts and those that are fiction.
- Ruby Bridges Text Elements (Headings) - This printable activity requires students to match the five different headings to their correct paragraphs.
- Ruby Bridges Text Elements (Topic Sentence and Supporting Details) - This printable activity requires students to select three sentences which belong under a topic sentence from a group of even sentences. Students then must build the correct paragraph by putting the sentences in the correct order.
- Ruby Bridges Text Structure (Causes and Effects) - This printable activity requires students to fill in a cause and effect chart where some of the causes are empty and some of the effects are empty. Students can choose from a bank the causes and effects to enter.
- Virtual History Teacher - Grading a "Ruby Bridges" Test - Students play the role of a virtual history teacher and must grade responses to three questions about the life of Ruby Bridges. Each response is incomplete, and students must fill in the missing information in the "response" section. It's designed to reinforce the importance of elaboration. Students can use the Ruby Bridges biography for reference.
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