Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day 2024: Honoring a Civil Rights Icon

Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day, an event honoring the courage and resilience of civil rights icon Ruby Bridges, will be observed on Thursday, November 14, 2024. This annual event commemorates the day in 1960 when Ruby Bridges, at just six years old, became the first African American student to integrate an all-white school in Louisiana.

The event originated in May 2018 when a group of fifth-graders from Martin Elementary School in South San Francisco, California, learned about Ruby Bridges and proposed to their school board to establish November 14 as Ruby Bridges Day. The San Mateo County Office of Education Safe Routes to School team supported this initiative, turning it into a walk to school day to honor Ruby’s bravery.

This year, schools across various districts, including Portland Public Schools, Centennial, David Douglas, Parkrose, and Reynolds school districts, are encouraged to host events on November 14 or another day in November. Incentives such as posters, pencils, stickers, reflective keychains, and other educational materials are available for schools to make the event engaging and educational.

Ruby Bridges’ story is a significant part of American civil rights history. After a federal court ordered Louisiana schools to desegregate in 1960, Ruby and five other African American students passed an entrance exam to attend all-white schools. However, Ruby was the only one to brave Frantz Elementary School on her first day, November 14, 1960, amidst intense resistance and hostility.

In addition to local events, Ruby Bridges herself will be appearing in Topeka, Kansas, for the annual Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day, further highlighting the importance of her legacy and the ongoing struggle for racial justice.