by Trillia Newbell
To be the first person to do anything can be daunting. But for Ruby Bridges, it was historical, breathtaking, and heartbreaking. At six years old, Bridges would become the first African American person to integrate schools in the recently desegregated South. The landmark case and subsequent decision in Brown v. Board of Education—which happened to occur the same year as Bridges’s birth—would change the face of American education and would forever mark the life of Ruby Bridges. The US Supreme court declared that segregation in the educational system was unconstitutional, essentially requiring schools to integrate. On November 14, 1960—six years after Brown v. Board of Education—Bridges took the long walk into an all-white public elementary school.
Bridges was born on September 8, 1954, in the segregated and deeply racist state of Mississippi. Life was similar in Louisiana, where the Bridges would move when Ruby was two.[1]
It is important to understand the environment and context in which little Ruby would one day walk the road toward desegregation. For the adults, it was a terrifying time. But as we’ll see soon, Bridges was a child with a sweet spirit, innocence, and naivety that likely protected her and enabled her to take that road. Brown v. Board of Education passed on May 17, 1954, and ended the 60-year reign of the Supreme Court’s earlier “separate but equal” decision, marking the end of segregation. The ruling declared that the state-authorized segregation of public schools violated the 14th Amendment and was unconstitutional.[2]
Unsurprisingly for that time in our history, the Southern states were slow to integrate.
Bridges the Guide
Ruby Bridges spent her kindergarten year in a segregated school in New Orleans, Louisiana. In 1960, Bridges, along with six other children, passed a test to see if they could integrate into white schools. Although our focus is on Bridges, it’s worth noting (and researching on your own) that three other young Black students integrated into an all-white school the same year as Bridges.
On the Sunday night before Bridges would walk the lonely road toward integration, Ruby’s mom tried to prepare her, through tender reminders, not to fear. But Bridges was just a kid, mostly unaware of the historical significance of the journey she was embarking upon.
All I remember thinking that night was that I wouldn’t be going to school with my friends anymore, and I wasn’t happy about that.[3]
On November 14, 1960, six-year-old Ruby and her mother, Lucille Bridges, were escorted into William Frantz Elementary School by four federal marshals. Through human barricades and shouts of hate, little Ruby took that long walk and changed the course of history for children in the United States. Bridges wasn’t the only one to receive the wrath of a racist crowd. White families who brought their children to school also endured ridicule. But the war against integration poured well outside the schoolyard.
Bridges recalled:
Trouble broke out across the city. As I sat quietly huddled with Mrs. Henry, mobs of protestors roamed the streets. People threw rocks and bricks at passing cars. Some even tossed flaming bottles of gasoline. Hospital emergency rooms began to fill up.[4]
Due to the unrest and tension, Bridges was escorted to school by police for the rest of the school year. Mrs. Barbara Henry was the only teacher willing to take Ruby as a student. The two would eventually reunite during a 1996 episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show.
An Ancient and Familiar Foe
Most of us will never go into battle with a people behind a fortified city, as happened to Israel and Joshua. As they prepared to head into the Promised Land, they were fearful, just as most of us would have been. God reminded them that He was with them and would never forsake them.
Although little Ruby wasn’t facing a battle for land, she had to walk through a massive sea of adults yelling, which would have felt like going up against a fortified city. She needed great courage, and I believe the Lord went with her. But the text above isn’t solely about Joshua’s journey, Israel’s fear, or little Ruby facing racist adults. There’s more: Our text reminds us of the character of God.
The command “do not fear” is one of, if not the most, direct orders in the Scriptures. The Lord has a lot to say about fear. God understands that we will face circumstances that are indeed frightening. Otherwise, there would be no reason to tell us not to fear. Knowing that ought to bring us comfort. The Lord understands our troubles and knows we will face circumstances, situations, diagnoses, and people that will cause us to be tempted to fear. Jesus was tempted in every way but never sinned (Hebrews 4:15). He understands.
However, God doesn’t command us not to fear without providing the way out of our fear. The way out for Joshua, Israel, Ruby, and you and me is Himself. God provides Himself. He tells us, “Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand” (Isaiah 41:10). The same God who was with Israel in battle—the God who went before them and prepared a way—is the same God who is with us in our fight.
Like Ruby and Joshua, we can be courageous not because of who we are or our strength. We can be courageous because of who God is, and the good news is that He is with us.
1 Lauren Ewen Blokker, “The African American Experience in Louisiana,” https://www.crt.state.la.us/Assets/OCD/hp/nationalregister/historic_contexts/The_African_American_Experience_in_Louisiana.pdf.
2 “Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)”, National Archives, https://www.archives.gov/milestone documents/plessy-v-ferguson.
3 Bridges, Through My Eyes, 14.
4 Bridges, Through My Eyes, 32.
Trillia Newbell is a bestselling author whose many books include God’s Very Good Idea, Fear and Faith, and If God Is For Us. When she isn’t writing, she is encouraging and supporting other writers as the acquisitions director at Moody Publishers. Trillia is married to her best friend, Thern, and they reside with their two children near Nashville, Tennessee.
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