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Ruby Bridges was born in Tylertown, Mississippi.
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At age 5, Pam Foreman Testroe, a white child, breaks school boycott by attending class at William Franz.
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In response to a call from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), Ruby's parents volunteered her to participate in the integration of the New Orleans School System. Ruby was the only black child chosen to attend William Franz elementary school.
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As soon as Ruby was brought into the school, many parents took their children out of the school in protest.
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For over a year Ruby's teacher, Ms. Henry, taught Ruby alone because no white students attended her class. Parents did not want their children in class with a black student.
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Marshalls were necessary due to threats from people protesting integration.
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One woman threatened to poison Ruby everyday. One woman put a black doll in a miniature coffin and displayed this coffin during a protest.
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Ruby founded the Ruby Bridges Foundation in 1999 to promote "the values of tolerance, respect, and appreciation of all differences".
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In 2007 the Children's Museum of Indianapolis unveiled a new exhibit documenting Bridges' life, along with the lives of Anne Frank and Ryan White.
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On May 19, 2012 Bridges received an Honorary Degree from Tulane University at the annual graduation ceremony at the Mercedes Benz Superdome.
