Imagine being escorted to your first day at a brand-new school not by your parents, but U.S. marshals, as a crowd of protesters chant and point at you, angry  you are now attending this school. You are the only student in your classroom. No other children are with you, and you’re not allowed to join them at lunch or at recess. 

That is what Ruby Bridges went through 64 years ago.  

On the anniversary of this historic day, dozens of Topeka area middle and high school students joined the civil rights icon on Thursday, Nov. 14, for an in-person “fireside chat” at Washburn University, in Topeka, to celebrate “Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day”, a symbolic walk of unity and strength. Her appearance comes as the 70th anniversary of Brown v. Board of Education is also celebrated. 

At just six years of age, Bridges was one of six Black students in New Orleans to pass a test that determined whether they could attend the all-white William Frantz Elementary School. Of the six, Bridges was the only student to end up attending the school. 

“The day came, and it was different than my first day of kindergarten,” Bridges said.  

Due to racial tensions, U.S. marshals were called in to escort Bridges to and from school, captured in the iconic 1964 Norman Rockwell painting, “The Problem We All Live With.” 

“My first thought was, ‘Who are they?’ and ‘who told them I needed a ride to school?’,” she said. 

When they arrived at William Frantz, they weren’t greeted with a warm welcome but encountered a crowd of protestors throwing objects and holding signs trying to prevent Bridges from entering the school. The protestors also recited chants  like, “2-4-6-8, we don’t want to integrate.” 

Now at 70-years-old, Bridges reflected on that day and how unaware she was of why these people were angry she was attending the school. 

“My 6-year-old mind didn’t tell me I needed to be afraid,” she said. 

That test she took to get her into the school? She thought that was a test to get her into college. She also thought the crowd she encountered was a Mardi Gras parade, since it was around the time the festival was celebrated in New Orleans. 

When she got inside the building, she went into the principal’s office, waiting to get assigned to a classroom., The protesters rushed inside the building, still yelling, and pointing at her through a window. 

She never made it to class that first day. When the principal announced school was dismissed, Bridges thought, “college is easy.” 

The next day, the crowd had doubled in size. The principal pointed her to her classroom down the hall and when Bridges arrived, she saw empty desks. 

“I thought I was early to class,” she said, “Turns out, I was years too early.” 

She ended up being the only student in that classroom that entire year, but her teacher, Barbara Henry, made the year fun. When they heard protestors outside, Henry would play music to distract her from the hatred. Bridges said Henry became like another mother to her and is still her friend to this day. 

Bridges was never allowed to go to lunch or recess, never interacting with other children. 

In second grade, Henry, her safe haven, was gone. She was now being taught by a teacher who initially refused to teach her. One day, a boy wouldn’t play with her because his mom told him not to. From that day forward, Bridges realized it had nothing to do with him. 

“Racism is a grownup disease, and we should stop using our kids to spread it,” she said. “The world that we live in today, you cannot believe that you can only trust people who look like you.” 

Along with kids in attendance at White Concert Hall on Washburn’s campus, 10 schools were able to view a livestream of the event. Each student attending, both in-person and online, received at least one of Bridges’ books. 

Phelicia Glass, licensed social worker and grief counselor, welcomed attendees, and introduced students from Highland Park High School, Topeka Unified School District 501, who sang the Black National Anthem. 

Dr. Beryl New, a newly elected Kansas State Board of Education member, introduced Ruby Bridges. New later joined several other dignitaries for a Q&A session, including Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly; Kansas legislators Rep. Valdenia Winn, Sen. Oletha Faust-Goudeau, Rep. Barbara Ballard; and Dr. Jim Williams, superintendent of the Brown v. Board of Education National Historical Park. 

The event ended with Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly signing a proclamation declaring Nov. 14 Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day. 

Today, Bridges chairs the Ruby Bridges Foundation, which seeks to “offer programs and resources to guide and support younger generations on their pathway toward a more peaceful and harmonious future.”