#2: Ruby Bridges Attending an All-White School

Many of us think of old black-and-white photographs when we think of the 1960s. However, that decade of major change and civil rights activism was not that long ago. This historical photograph is quite famous. It shows a young Ruby Bridges attending elementary school in the South. Ruby made history as the first African American student to attend an all-white, segregated school. 

Ruby was only six when this photograph was taken. Her attendance at her new school was quite controversial, and Ruby’s family feared for her safety. Federal marshals escorted her as she walked to school every day of the school year. While some people like to think that our segregated past and racism are long gone, it is still very much present in our collective consciousness. Ruby Bridges is still alive and well today.