Ruby Bridges tells her story of trailblazing desegregation in new children's book
Ruby Bridges was a 6-year-old first-grader when she walked past jeering crowds of white people to become one of the first Black students at racially segregated schools in New Orleans more than six decades ago. Now, with teaching about race in America more complicated than it’s ever been, she’s authored a picture book about her experience for the youngest of readers.
Bridges, along with three other Black students at a different school, were the first to integrate what had been all-white schools in New Orleans in 1960.
“I Am Ruby Bridges,” featuring illustrations by Nikkolas Smith, goes on sale Tuesday. Published by Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., it’s aimed at readers as young as 4.
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Bridges says it's her "most personal book yet," in a press release. "It’s not just about my experience integrating schools. It’s also about the innocent ways that a child sees the world. Writing as my six-year-old self reminded me how differently kids interpret things than adults do."
She added: "Children are much better at finding humor in everything, and even in times of great challenge, that’s what this book really does. It allows young kids to learn history in a fun way, which is something that I’m very passionate about."
Complete with a glossary that includes the words “Supreme Court” and “law,” the book is an uplifting story about opportunities and kids being able to make a difference, Bridges said in an interview with The Associated Press.
Books by or about Bridges have been challenged by conservatives in several school districts amid complaints over race-related teaching. Bridges said she hopes the new book winds up in elementary school libraries.
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“I’ve been very, very fortunate because of the way I tell my story that my babies come in all shapes and colors, and my books are bestsellers, and maybe banned in schools,” she said. “But I think parents really want to get past our racial differences. They’re going to seek out those books.”
Bridges was born in 1954, the same year the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. Southern school districts, including New Orleans, continued resisting integration for years.
But on Nov. 14, 1960, Bridges — carrying a plaid book satchel and wearing a white sweater — was escorted by four federal marshals past a taunting white crowd into segregated William Frantz Elementary School. The scene was made famous in the Norman Rockwell painting “The Problem We All Live With,” which hung in the White House near the Oval Office during the tenure of former President Barack Obama.
The book’s theme plays off the author’s name: “Ruby” is a precious stone, and “Bridges” are meant to bring people together. Told with a touch of humor from the vantage point of a first-grader, the book captures the wonder of Bridges’ experience — rather than just the scariness of that raucous first day at the school.
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Illustrator Nikkolas Smith said in the press release that the artist resonated with Bridges' perspective "as a Black child growing up in the South."
"I was always one of the few Black faces in my elementary school, and I knew that Ms. Ruby was a huge reason why there was any progress at all," the illustrator shared. "She is an American hero, and has been a lifelong icon of mine. It was a surreal moment at the start of this project, being able to talk with Ms. Ruby and get an understanding of that iconic time in her life through her six-year-old eyes."
Contributing: Naledi Ushe, USA TODAY; Jay Reeves, The Associated Press
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Ruby Bridges authors children's book on experience with desegregation
