What Happened
On November 14, 1960, four federal marshals walked six-year-old Ruby Bridges into William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. Outside, a mob organized by the White Citizens' Council screamed slurs and threats. White parents pulled their children out; for most of the year Ruby was taught alone by Barbara Henry, a teacher from Boston.
Why It Matters
Black parents had sued in 1955. A federal court ordered desegregation in 1956, and for four years the school board and Louisiana legislature defied it. Integration finally came down to a first-grader carrying the weight a state refused to. Her family paid too: her father lost his job and her grandparents were evicted from their farm.
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