On November 14, 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges walked into William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, flanked by four federal marshals. She was the first Black child to attend an all-white elementary school in the American South. The crowds screaming at her were so hostile that the marshals had to shield her from thrown objects.
The Prayer She Prayed Every Morning
What most people do not know about that famous Norman Rockwell image is what Ruby was doing as she walked. She was praying. Her mother had taught her to pray for the people who hated her, and Ruby did it every single morning before walking through the crowd. "Please, God, try to forgive these people," she would say. "Because even if they say those bad things, they don't know what they're doing."
A Classroom of One
For the entire first year, Ruby was the only student in her class. Every white parent had pulled their children out. Her teacher, Barbara Henry — a young woman from Boston — taught Ruby alone, treating her with the same care and professionalism she would have given a full classroom. The two formed a bond that lasted decades.
The Legacy of a Child's Faith
Ruby Bridges grew up to become an activist, author, and the chair of the Ruby Bridges Foundation, which promotes tolerance and unity through education. But the moment that defined her life happened when she was six: a child walking into a school, praying for people who wanted to destroy her, and refusing to let hatred win.
What This Means for You
Ruby did not have sophisticated theology. She did not have a strategy for social change. She had a prayer her mother taught her and the courage to keep walking. If you are facing hostility at school — whatever form it takes — you already have everything you need. You have the ability to keep going and the choice to refuse to hate.
