Through My Eyes by Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges is an icon of the civil rights movement. And it is in Through My Eyes that we are given a first hand account of what it was like to be a small 6 year old black girl in New Orleans, Louisiana who sets the stage for school integration.
In 1954, the year that Ruby was born, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered the end of “separate but equal” education for African-American children. Schools in the deep south ignored the ruling. Louisiana was given the deadline date of September 1960 to integrate schools in New Orleans. They would begin with just Kindergarten and integrate one school year at a time. Ruby Bridges was just one of five black children who passed a test to determine which children should be sent to the white schools. The test was set up so children would be unable to pass. Ruby’s family made the decision to stand up for their rights and enrolled Ruby into the first grade at an all white school. She would be the only black child there.
Ruby arrived for her first day of school in the escort of four U.S federal marshals and to a sinister crowd of angry housewives and teenagers. Ruby honestly thought the crowd must have been for Mardi Gras. Furious mothers took their children out of school claiming that they would not return until Ruby had left. It was a promise they did good on. For the entire school year the school taught only about five students. Ruby and four other white students.
Lucille Bridges, Ruby’s mother recounts,
Ruby was special. I wanted her to have a good education so she could get a good job when she grew up. But Ruby’s father through his child shouldn’t go where she wasn’t wanted.
There were things I didn’t understand. I didn’t know Ruby would be the only black child in the school. I didn’t know how bad things would get.
I remember being afraid on the first day Ruby went to the Frantz school, when I came home and turned on the TV set and I realized that, at that moment, the whole world was watching my baby and talking about her.
At that moment, I was most afraid.
Ruby, however, was in just a class of one and was unaware of any other children in the school. The school really did stay segregated inside it’s own walls. Those white parents who tried to stand up and take their kids to school, were harassed so badly that they gave up. Luckily, Ruby had a teacher Mrs. Henry who loved and adored her. Unluckily, she had a principle who hated the idea of segregation and made things as difficult as possible.
Ruby recounts what it was like to be dropped off each morning and to leave each day in the midst of a very angry mob. She also tells of the stress that it brought upon her family, as her father lost her job because she attended a white school. There were highlights though, as she tells of the amazing outpouring of love, and monetary support they received from strangers outside of the state who recognized what an important stride she was making. Of course, Ruby was only six, so much of what she understood was very limited.
It wasn’t until Ruby Bridges was an adult that she even knew that she was the subject of a famous Norman Rockwell painting or written about in John Steinbeck’s Travel’s with Charley. She’s also the subject of a picture book entitled The Story of Ruby Bridges by Robert Coles, who was her child psychiatrist at the time and a Disney movie called Ruby Bridges .
Ruby now travels the country making public appearances speaking out about her experience, the power in an education and race. I appreciated her thoughts that schools, mainly inner-city schools, are being segregated all over again and who difficult it is to offer students the same opportunities they would receive in some of the suburban schools.
A great video introduction to Through My Eyes:
Through My Eyes was an excellent insight into a pivotal event in history as seen through the eyes of Ruby Bridges. A great resource for all ages. Ruby Bridge’s website.
Through My Eyes is part of my themed reading for the month of February which celebrates Black History Month. Join me this month as I explore books that celebrate the history of African-Americans. Also reviewed this month: Show Way by Jacqueline Woodson. Other reviews of interest: A Thousand Never Evers by Shana Burg, Yankee Girl by Mary Ann Rodman, Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson, and Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis.
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Category: Book Reviews, History/World Events, Nonfiction
Tags: A-D Author, Black history, civil rights movement, Q-T Title
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Sounds like a wonderful book. I love the picture of Ruby on the steps.
on February 5th, 2009 at 2:44 pmMy daughter watched Ruby Bridges at school last year. She’s a very sensitive child and it upset her. Even at 5 she knew that Ruby was being treated unfairly. It’s too bad more adults of that time didn’t feel like my daughter did.
on February 5th, 2009 at 2:59 pmI’ll have to check this book out. This is such an important subject, and one I know very little about. I read a book similar to this, Warriors Don’t Cry, last year (my review is here). It is by one of the “Little Rock Nine” students. It was an eye-opening read.
on February 5th, 2009 at 5:37 pmAwesome review, Natasha!
on February 5th, 2009 at 9:20 pmWhat a great review. I love the images on the video to go along with it!
on February 6th, 2009 at 1:52 amIs it weird I find it rather ironic that one of the students in my class gave a presentation on Ruby Bridges Wednesday night and I found a whole post here?
She read Robert Cole’s “The Story of Ruby Bridges” to us as she taught a learning strategy that we can impliment into our classrooms when we teach… And we watched a very, very short segment on Ruby on Youtube. And she showed us Norman Rockwell’s painting…
Excellent post!
on February 6th, 2009 at 8:06 amKathy – There were so man wonderful photos in the book. I’m keen on photo essays. Always enjoyed them.
Chris – I have the DVD on hold at the library now. I’m curious to see how it is. That’s what I don’t understand about those people – couldn’t they see how unbelievably mean they were? How could they sleep at night?
M – Thanks for that recommendation. After reading your review, I’m going to have to add it to my list.
Nancy – Why thank you.
Michelle – I thought the video was excellent, thus why I included it!
Nicole Marie – How funny! Well, it is Black History Month, is it not?! I have The Story of Ruby Bridges ready to be picked up at the library. Hopefully, I’ll be able to review it this month.
on February 6th, 2009 at 9:58 amThank you so much for shedding light on Ruby Bridges! Wow. It’s really hard to believe our country was that way not very long ago. I want to read the children’s story to my kids.
on February 6th, 2009 at 12:32 pmnice review! Ruby Bridges is one of my heroes. my older daughter did a history fair project about her when she was in seventh or eighth grade.
on February 6th, 2009 at 1:48 pmWhat a wonderful story! That poor little girl. I heard that the school she went to was damaged during Katrina and that she was trying to help rebuild it. MSN has a video interview of it.
on February 6th, 2009 at 6:30 pmI love Ruby! My teacher is showing movies and books about her! That pour little girl should have been able to smile when she walked into the new school!
on February 7th, 2009 at 5:57 amTina – I just picked up the picture book from the library, so I hope to review it this month.
alisonwonderland – I must admit that I didn’t know much before this book. Which, I guess, is one reason why I love reading!
Ladytink_534 – Oh wow. I heard mention on her website about trying to rebuild New Orleans. I didn’t think of the school though. I do know it’s pretty inner-city now. Hardly any white kids there.
Lauren – You’re right! She should have been able to smile.
on February 8th, 2009 at 7:10 pmThis sounds like such a great book. I need to look for “The Story of Ruby Bridges” for my kids. It would be so good for them and I think they would like learning about Ruby. She looks like such a beautiful girl in that picture of her being escorted by marshals.
on February 9th, 2009 at 12:46 pmI saw the movie: incredible. Sounds like a great book too.
on February 10th, 2009 at 5:43 pmi saw the movie it was amazing but very sad at parts it breaks my heart to know that there was segregation in the world and there still is, but if we all come together and work together we can all change that
on February 24th, 2009 at 3:17 pmruby bridges is an inspiration to me. i first seen the movie when i was in the 5th grade class and everyday of my life i thought about the movie. and yes she have prevented alot of problems and made huge changes in people everyday lives. thank you ruby bridges!!!!
on August 27th, 2009 at 10:29 am