Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day

We encourage all students to walk to school on this day to honor the courage of Ruby Bridges. To support participation from families that typically drive to school, we will be designating a drop-off and walk spot at the South East corner of Shoreview Shopping Center:

• 500 S. Norfolk St. by 7:35AM to depart by 7:40AM for the walk to Lead Elementary.  
• All families are invited to join as part of this group.

Additional meet-up groups will be at the following locations:

• Shoreview Ave and Oceanview Ave
• Shorview Ave and Dale Ave
• Norfolk St and Kehoe Ave 

Please note: This will not be a school chaperoned event, so families are encouraged to walk with their children or let their children walk with other adults/families they trust.

Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day

Ruby Bridges became a symbol of the civil rights movement at age six when she was the youngest of a group of African American students designated to integrate schools in the American South. On November 14, 1960, her first day of school at William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Ruby was escorted by four federal marshals, and spent the entire day in the principal’s office as irate parents marched into the school to remove their children.

History

Ruby Bridges is an American activist who walked to school nearly every day and became a symbol of the civil rights movement at age six when she was the youngest of a group of African American students designated to integrate schools in the American South. On November 14, 1960, her first day of school, she was escorted by four federal marshals, and spent the entire day in the Principal's office as irate parents marched into the school to remove their children.

Today, Ruby Bridges stands for equality and desegregation. She is currently the chair of the Ruby Bridges Foundation, which she formed in 1999 to promote, "the values of tolerance, respect, and appreciation of all differences."

The idea to celebrate Ruby’s courage came from Deborah Carlino’s 2016-2017 fifth-grade class at South San Francisco Unified’s (SSFUSD) Martin Elementary School, whose students learned about Ruby in class and came up with an idea to adopt a “Ruby Bridges Day” to honor Ruby’s role in the civil rights movement. The students gathered over 1,000 signatures from students, parents, and community members, and presented their proposal to SSFUSD’s Board of Trustees, who in turn passed a resolution approving November 14 as Ruby Bridges Day.  Because November 14th is a weekend, we will celebrate the Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on Wednesday November 17th, 2021.