‘Ruby went first’: Watch ‘walking school bus’ of Tacoma kids honor civil-rights pioneer
While walking to school Thursday morning, Birney Elementary School students learned about the courage of an important civil-rights pioneer: Ruby Bridges.
On Nov. 14, 1960, Bridges became the first Black student to attend a formerly all-white school in New Orleans. Angry protesters yelled and hurled racial slurs at the 6-year-old as she passed. Yet accompanied by U.S. marshals, Bridges persevered.
Tacoma Public Schools commemorated the history-making moment on Thursday, 64 years later. Administrators shepherded students up sidewalks and passed out purple bracelets. Custom purple flags declared: “Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day” to honor the national annual event.
Nevaeh MacLeod, who attends fifth grade at Birney, 7627 S. Sheridan Ave., was struck by Bridges’ courage.
“I think that she was brave to go,” the 10-year-old said.
Thursday’s event coincided with the local “walking school bus,” in which grown-ups escort students to school on foot. Nevaeh likes the walking school bus because it helps students get to class safely.
One such route departed for Birney at 8:20 a.m., with designated stops along the way.
Moniqua Scott, assistant principal at Birney, emphasized the relevance of Bridges’ story. It didn’t take place in the distant past, she noted. It’s current.
“When I look out at my students and I think about being a Black administrator, I’m like: Without Ruby, I wouldn’t be here. Or I would be here, and y’all wouldn’t be here,” she said, gesturing toward her white colleagues. “The reality is our white students would probably be elsewhere, because our community that we serve is predominantly students of color.”
Students can relate Bridges’ tale to their own lives by realizing that they can play with friends of different races at recess, she added: “That happens only because Ruby went first, and now it’s totally normal.”
Bridges’ trailblazing spirit has impacted every facet of school, Scott said. She referenced her coworker, family liaison Megan Clark, who is white.
“One of the things that’s really important about Ruby Bridges is that fact that she really has made a life and a legacy of making sure that we’re building community,” Clark said. “That we’re celebrating our differences and … getting outside community members to be involved, and outside organizations and partnerships.”
Clark highlighted the example of the walking school bus, a collaboration between the city, school district and health department. The effort is a “beautiful” illustration of building community, she said. Students — regardless of race, ethnicity or income — can bond on the sidewalks to Birney.
Kids also learn street smarts when it comes to remembering to look both ways before crossing the road, Scott said.
Cailin Henley is a Safe Routes to School coordinator for the city of Tacoma. She said it’s a big, nationally recognized program that makes it easier, safer and more fun for local families to walk and roll to school.
The national Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day began in 2018 to celebrate the historic steps of Bridges, who is 70 today. Henley said it drives home the importance of active transportation for young change-makers, who also can learn about anti-racism and anti-bullying.
Scott said the walking school bus has several benefits, including improved student attendance and increased time outdoors.
“There really is just that sense of community and belonging,” she said, “while you’re also celebrating good physical and mental health.”
Deputy superintendent Lisa Nolan joined the walking school bus to Birney on Thursday morning.
Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day brings together two meanings of the word “safety,” she said: both in the physical sense, in terms of getting to school unharmed, as well as the emotional. Bridges’ courage made a profound mark on the nation as a whole.
“So to me, it deeply represents a step towards improvement, a step towards access,” Nolan said. “And to honor it today allows us a moment to say, ‘Hey, we’ve come a long way, and we have more steps to take.’”
This story was originally published November 14, 2024 at 1:47 PM.
