Ruby Bridges Walk To School Day

What

Ruby Bridges Walk To School Day

When

11/14/2019, 8:00 AM – 8:30 AM

This week we will be participating in Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on November 14th sponsored by the SMCOE Safe Routes to School Program. We will be handing out stickers and buttons to those students who walk, roll, ride, carpool, or ride the bus on this historic 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 to school 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. 

The inaugural Walk to School Day in San Mateo County was in 2018. Students from Martin Elementary School in South San Francisco were learning about Ruby Bridges and wanted to celebrate her courage. They advocated to their school board to make November 14 Ruby Bridges Day and were invited to do the same at an SMCOE Board meeting. Their passion caught on and 14 schools across the county participated in 2018. Several districts also passed resolutions. You can learn more about Ruby Bridges and the Walk to School Day initiative on the website.