United States: meet Ruby Bridges, first black schoolgirl to have joined a school reserved for whites

Ruby Bridges became, in 1960, the first black schoolgirl to enter a white-only school, after a Supreme Court decision ending school segregation. Protected by federal agents, the image speaks for itself, showing an exceptional fact at the time. On November 14, 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges made history.

The American context of the time was marked by numerous demonstrations against desegregation, often under high voltage, which develop in front of the school. “I have been called the Child Civil Rights Icon. I often say that what protected me was the innocence of thechildhood“, explains Ruby Bridges in front of France Télévisions cameras. “To not really understand what was happening“, she continues. Despite an exceptional context and many sticks in the wheels, Ruby Bridges made first grade and also made history, being the only one to pass the very high admissions tests given to black children. A pride that will accompany him all his life.