The impact of desegregation with Ruby Bridges
Estimated time8 Minutes
Ruby Bridges, the civil rights activist who desegregated an elementary school in New Orleans when she was 6 years old, is Stephen Colbert’s guest on The Late Show.
Ruby tells her story of what it was like to be the only Black girl attending an all-white school. She recalls walking in only to have every white parent immediately rush inside and take their kids out, leaving Ruby the only child to attend the school all year.
Ruby was 6 and only somewhat aware of what was going on at the time. It was in part this ignorance that allowed her to do the brave act that she did.
In the interview, Stephen Colbert notes, “In the last two years, 563 measures have been introduced across the country to restrict how schools can teach about race and racism with over 300 books about racism that have been pulled including your own.” Ruby replies that even though they’re banned in schools, you can still buy them to stay educated, and you should.
In Ruby’s book, she says, “Racism is a grown-up disease. Let’s not use our children to spread it.”
As you watch, ask yourself:
When was your first encounter with racism? Were you born with racism, or was it taught to you?
What purpose does racism serve in society and who does it benefit?
How will society change when there is no longer any racism?