MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Civil Rights and literacy advocate Ruby Bridges was the first Black child to attend an all-White elementary school in Louisiana in 1960. On Saturday, Memphis' National Civil Rights Museum honored Bridges once again with her very own festival.
The sixth installment of the "Ruby Bridges Reading Festival" is took place from 10 a.m. and lasted until 3 p.m. in the museum courtyard on Saturday, May 13.
Bridges' parents responded to a request by the NAACP to help integrate the New Orleans school system when Bridges was only six-years-old. Since then, she has been on a mission to promote literacy, equal rights and tolerance in order to promote understanding between people from all backgrounds.
Bridges received the 2015 National Civil Rights Museum’s Freedom Award in 2015, and then started the festival in Memphis after receiving the honor.
"There was a time as African Americans where we could not even be caught with a book or even to let people know that we knew how to read [would be dangerous]," Bridges said. "We've come a long way from that, but it does seem like we could be headed in that direction again if books are being banned."
Bridges said wants to make sure parents know that the National Civil Rights Museum in Memphis is making books available to children to learn about their history as well as themselves.
"My story is here at the museum," Bridges said at last year's event. "There's so many stories and, let's face it, today books are being banned, and so we want to make sure that the community knows that we have books."
Bridges said she considers the museum a "home for historical stories."
Guest readers included:
- Civil rights icon Ruby Bridges, author of children’s books Through My Eyes, Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story, This Is Your Time, and her 2022 release, I Am Ruby Bridges
- Civil rights icon Joan Trumpauer Mulholland who authored She Stood for Freedom
- Andrew Maraniss - author of Inaugural Ballers
- Bellen Woodard - author of More Than Peach
- Bryan Collier - illustrator of We Are Here
- Tio Juancho of Cazateatro
Entertainment included:
- Miss B-Loonie (balloon Art for kids)
- Balloon Grammy (balloon Art for kids)
- Magic Mr. Nick (magic shows/dance parties)
- 901 Parties (facepainting)
- Kids on the Block-Les Passees (puppeteering)
- Butteriffic Bakery (cookies and juices)
- 901 Munchies (Italian ice)