Ruby Bridges will be special guest at 2024 MLK Day of Celebration (2024)

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Bridges defied angry protesters to desegregate Louisiana school, became legendary changemaker, civil rights activist

Ruby Bridges will be special guest at 2024 MLK Day of Celebration (2)

Ruby Bridges will be special guest at 2024 MLK Day of Celebration (3)

Ruby Bridges will headline the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan’s 39th annual Day of Celebration signature event Monday, Jan. 15, from 11 a.m.-2 p.m. at the Lansing Center, 333 Michigan Ave., Lansing, Michigan.

Bridges, a prominent civil rights advocate, author, and speaker, gained widespread recognition for her remarkable feat as a fearless six-year-old. She made history in 1960 by becoming the first African American child to integrate an all-white school in the South, playing a pivotal role in the subsequent desegregation of public education.

“Ruby Bridges' story will inspire and educate the audience about the importance of courage, resilience, and the pursuit of equality,” said Elaine Hardy, commission chair. “The Commission is elated to host Ms. Bridges, a living link to the past, to share a firsthand account of the challenges faced during the Civil Rights Movement. Her personal journey is a testament to the impact that individuals can have in challenging systemic injustice.”

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Amid angry protesters and a vicious mob, Bridges was escorted by U.S. Marshals on Nov. 14, 1960, as she walked into the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana. The historical moment has since been captured in the Norman Rockwell painting, The Problem We All Live With, as well as captured in the 1998 Disney production, Ruby Bridges, and The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan is the nation’s longest-running, continuously operating MLK commission, and its annual Day of Celebration is the nation’s largest MLK Day luncheon event.

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The theme of the 2024 MLK Day of Celebration event is, "The measure of a country's greatness is its ability to retain compassion in times of crisis," which is attributed to U.S. Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and serves as a poignant reminder of the importance of compassion and embodying the spirit and lessons of Dr. Martin Luther King, particularly during challenging times.

Bridges will address Day of Celebration attendees in an informal fireside chat, creating a comfortable and engaging atmosphere. She will offer perspectives on civil rights and race-related issues, emphasizing the significance of history as both a cornerstone and a source of truth.

Tickets for the Day of Celebration can be purchased online at mlkmidmichigan.com/day-of-celebration.

“To truly make lasting positive change—to keep Dr. King's dream moving forward—we need to think and act big,” Bridges is quoted as saying on biography.com.

Bridges established the Ruby Bridges Foundation to provide leadership training programs that inspire youth and community leaders to embrace and value the richness of diversity. Bridges has also received numerous awards, including the NAACP Martin Luther King Award, the Presidential Citizens Medal, and honorary doctorate degrees from Connecticut College, College of New Rochelle, Columbia University Teachers College, and Tulane University.

She is the author of Through My Eyes; This Is Your Time; I Am Ruby Bridges; and Dear Ruby, Hear Our Hearts, which will be released in January 2024.

The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan works to support equality, diversity and social justice. It focuses on the area’s pressing issues of literacy, youth violence, hunger, mentoring, education and community enrichment. The nonprofit organization hosts speakers and concerts, supports community service agencies, and promotes youth initiatives, such as essay and art contests, college scholarships and an annual Y-Achievers tour for high school students. For more information visit mlkmidmichigan.com or follow the commission on Facebook, @MLKCommOfMidMI.

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Ruby Bridges will be special guest at 2024 MLK Day of Celebration (2024)

FAQs

What did MLK and Ruby Bridges have in common? ›

Answer. They both believed in civil rights and fought for it Ruby was only 6 when she stood up and went to an all white school in protest.

Why do we celebrate Ruby Bridges? ›

At the tender age of six, Ruby Bridges advanced the cause of civil rights in November 1960 when she became the first African American student to integrate an elementary school in the South.

What is a paragraph about Ruby Bridges? ›

She was the first African American child to desegregate William Frantz Elementary School. At six years old, Ruby's bravery helped pave the way for Civil Rights action in the American South. Ruby was born on September 8, 1954 to Abon and Lucille Bridges in Tylertown, Mississippi. She was the eldest of five children.

Why did MLK want to cross the bridge? ›

The event of Martin Luther King Jr. turning around on the bridge in Selma happened during one of the Selma to Montgomery marches. These three marches were protests that were held in 1965. The reason why the activists organized these marches was to fight for their constitutional right to vote.

What are 3 important things Ruby Bridges did? ›

In November 1960, Bridges became the first Black student to desegregate the all-white William Frantz Elementary School in Louisiana — which is recognized as a pivotal moment in the history of the Civil Rights Movement. Bridges went on to become an author, speaker, and life-long civil rights activist.

Did Ruby Bridges get kids? ›

What happened to Ruby Bridges when she was 4? ›

When she was four years old, her family moved to New Orleans. Two years later a test was given to the city's African American schoolchildren to determine which students could enter all-white schools. Bridges passed the test and was selected for enrollment at the city's William Frantz Elementary School.

What was Ruby Bridges real name? ›

Ruby Bridges
Bridges in 2011
BornRuby Nell Bridges September 8, 1954 Tylertown, Mississippi, U.S.
Occupation(s)Philanthropist, activist
Websitewww.rubybridges.com

Did Ruby Bridges get married? ›

Bridges graduated from a desegregated high school, became a travel agent, married, and had four sons.

What did Ruby Bridges face? ›

Ruby faced blatant racism every day while entering the school. Many parents kept their children at home. People outside the school threw objects, police set up barricades. She was threatened and even “greeted" by a woman displaying a black doll in a wooden coffin.

Does Ruby Bridges have a husband? ›

Ruby Bridges Hall, lives in New Orleans with her husband, Malcolm Hall. They have four sons. She is now chair of the Ruby Bridges Foundation, which she formed in 1999 to promote "the values of tolerance, respect, and appreciation of all differences".

Is Ruby Bridges still alive? ›

It is more complex to acknowledge that Ruby Bridges is still alive than to imagine her as that kid in the black-and-white photo. It is more reassuring to distill the Rev.

What did Ruby Bridges do in 1960? ›

Ruby was the first Black child to desegregate her school. This is what she learned. U.S. deputy marshals escort six-year-old Ruby Bridges from William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans in November 1960.

What is Ruby Bridges favorite food? ›

For dinner, they ate New Orleans or Southern food like red beans and rice. Sometimes, they had fried catfish or shrimp for dinner. Ruby's favorite desserts were banana pudding and sweet potato pie.

What do Martin Luther King and Martin Luther have in common? ›

Martin Luther and Martin Luther King were both fathers and husbands who deeply loved their families despite their many other commitments. Both lived controversial lives, suffered incarceration and death threats. Both died before they should have.

What bridge did Martin Luther King cross? ›

Edmund Pettus Bridge

How did Ruby Bridges fight for civil rights? ›

She advanced the cause of civil rights as the first African American student to integrate an elementary school in the South. Ruby Bridges was born on September 8, 1954, in Tylertown, Mississippi, the oldest of farmers Lucille and Abon Bridges' five children.

What do Ruby Bridges and Rosa Parks have in common? ›

Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges were both standing up for black people, because they knew that the way that they were treated was wrong. They knew that they could be separate, but they would never be equal. Rosa Parks and Ruby Bridges were both a very important part of American history.

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