On Nov. 14, 1960, 6-year-old Ruby Bridges was surrounded by loved ones and her New Orleans community, unaware of the significance of what she was about to do.
During the height of the Civil Rights Movement and living in a post-Brown v. Board of Education world, Bridges was among more than 100 students to volunteer to be the first Black children to integrate white schools.
Though when the day came, Ruby would become known for walking her path alone.
She is remembered for the two iconic photos of her walking out of school escorted by multiple U.S. Marshals and the photo of those same U.S. Marshals escorting her and her mother to school through a sea of protestors. Bridges recalled not knowing they were protesting against her.
“What really protected me is the innocence of a child,” Bridges said. “Because even though you all saw that and I saw what you saw, my 6-year-old mind didn’t tell me that I needed to be afraid. Like why would I be afraid of a crowd? I see that all the time.
“So, I remember the car opened and they rushed us inside of the building and when I got inside the building, my first thought was I’m on my way to college. I’m so smart everybody came obviously to see this 6-year-old go to college.”