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June 23, 2021
ASCD Blog

For Ruby Bridges, Educators Are Nation’s Equity Lifeline

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    Equity
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      The following coverage is from ASCD’s Annual Conference, happening virtually this week, June 23-25, 2021. Register now to participate live or access all presentations on-demand through July 25. Learn more.
      Ruby Bridges was just six years old in 1960, when she was selected to be one of the first Black students to attend an integrated school in New Orleans. To get to the school every day, she had to be escorted by federal marshals through an angry mob of anti-integration protesters who shouted racial insults and threats at her. Some protestors regularly held up a coffin with a Black baby doll in it. 
      But in her inspiring opening address at ASCD’s annual conference Wednesday morning, Bridges—now a Civil Rights icon and leader—spoke about another, less well-known part of her story. Once she got past the mob and into her classroom, she recalled, she was greeted warmly by Ms. Barbara Henry, a white woman from Boston who had been assigned to teach her.   
      Bridges recalled that, to her six-year-old self, Ms. Henry looked a lot like the people in the angry mob outside, but she was different. She smiled warmly and took her by the hand. She created distractions, such as playing music, to take her mind off what was happening outside. She focused on her lessons but “actually made it fun, and she made me feel safe,” Bridges reflected.  
      Young Ruby even began to look forward to going to school. “I knew that all I had to do was get past the mob, inside the building to my classroom, and I was going to have a great day,” Bridges recalled. She knew that she was loved and welcome because of her teacher. 
      Addressing the more than 4,000 educators gathered virtually for ASCD’s conference, Bridges said this story wasn’t just about her own experience. It illustrated the critical role educators can play in empowering students and combating racism in society.  
      “I am an example of what a really good, dedicated teacher can do in the lives of their students,” she said, noting that Ms. Henry had to pass through the same angry mob that she did every day.  
      “You are the lifeline to the success of this country,” she added. To illustrate, she highlighted the skills and knowledge educators impart, often despite considerable structural obstacles, as well as the example they provide of “how to take care of people.”  
      As an aside, she said teachers deserve to be more fairly compensated, especially after the role they played this past year in supporting students and families throughout the pandemic. Educators, she said, are true “first responders”—protecting children in ways they may not always even be aware of. 

      Anti-Racist Teaching  

      Bridges emphasized that teachers have a particularly important role in healing racial divides because they are uniquely situated to break generational cycles of bias and discrimination.  
      “Racism is a grown-up disease and we have to stop using our kids to spread it,” she said.   
      It is important, in this respect, for educators to “teach the truth” and to “teach history the way it happened,” as opposed to the skewed versions that she said often predominate in schools.   
      “Every child needs to understand that people who look like them participated in the success of this country,” she said. This may require teachers to “step outside the box” and re-examine curricular materials and other systemic biases and oversights.  
      She noted that her own story only became widely known after teachers began sharing the 1995 children’s book The Story of Ruby Bridges with their students—an example of how educators can speak to children’s natural empathy and broaden their sense of history and understanding.  
      Bridges also emphasized the continued importance of school integration in healing racial relations and building new relationships.  
      “We have to do whatever it takes to unite us as a country,” Bridges said, again referring to importance of educators’ role in creating change.  
      “Think about the 4,000 of you [in attendance at the conference] and the good you can do!” she said.   
      To judge by the activity in the presentation chat box, the attendees got and felt duly empowered by the message.

      Anthony Rebora is the chief content officer for ISTE+ASCD, overseeing publications and content development across all platforms.

      Previously, he was the editor in chief of Educational Leadership, ASCD's flagship magazine, and led content development for the association's fast-evolving digital outlets.

      Under his leadership, Educational Leadership won numerous awards for editorial excellence, increased the breadth of its coverage and contributors, and greatly expanded its online reach.

      He was formerly a managing editor at Education Week, where he oversaw coverage of teachers and teaching policy, and played a key role in online editorial strategy. He has written and developed impactful content on a wide range of key K-12 education topics, including professional learning, school leadership and equity.

      As a content developer, his foremost goals are to empower diverse educator voices and raise awareness of critical issues and solutions in education.

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