By Kathy Chouteau
Sixty-four years ago today, six-year-old Ruby Bridges walked into William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans and took her place in the history books, becoming the first African American child to attend the formerly all-white school amid a tense period of desegregation.
Today, approximately 200 students, parents and school personnel at Mira Vista Elementary in Richmond joined 350,000 students across 1,400 schools nationwide to commemorate Ms. Bridges’ historic footsteps on “Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day.”
Mira Vista parent Marvin Browder, accompanied by his first grade daughter Genesis, emphasized the importance of empowerment for young African American girls. For them, the walk is about “making sure that little brown girls like herself—little African American women—stand proud and strong and believing and participating in this Ruby walk so that she will be brave,” he said.
Before the Mira Vista bees began their commemorative, early morning walk, the crowd gathered at the school’s front circle to hear brief opening remarks from Principal Greg Whaling, Community Outreach Worker Marilyn Gwinn-Scott and Contra Costa County Supervisor John Gioia, all of whom drove home the day’s significance.
Supervisor Gioia said that the event “reminds us of how important it is for us to call out and fight racism and bullying and mistreatment of other people.” Calling Mira Vista an amazing, diverse school community, he reminded everyone that Contra Costa County has an Office of Racial Equity and Social Justice “to look at those issues within our own county government.”
Passing through an archway of purple balloons, the students and crowd embarked on their short walk to the school’s blacktop, with many dressed in purple and bearing flags, hats, stickers and bracelets courtesy of event sponsor AAA.
On the blacktop, the event concluded with remarks from one of the school’s youngest students, Kindergartener Kasai Pierce. The little man—demonstrating bravery echoing that of Ms. Bridges so long ago—stood before the crowd and shared the icon’s powerful perspective to “affect change rather than fear it.”
