Ruby Nell Bridges was born on September 8, 1954, in Tylertown, Mississippi on her parents farm where she grew up. When she turned four Ruby’s parents decided to move to New Orleans, Louisiana hoping for a better life in an urban city rather than a rural area. Both her parents worked really hard to raise their family. When ruby was in kindergarten, she was one out of many African American students chosen to take a test to determine whether or not she would be eligible to attend a white school. The test was made very difficult to pass because they wanted to wait a little longer to desegregate schools in New Orleans. Near where Ruby lived their was an all white school, but Ruby had to travel miles to another school that was for African American students.
Credit: Scholastic