Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day (RBWTSD) honors the bravery of Ruby Bridges walking to Frantz Elementary School as the first and only Black student in 1960. It is the perfect opportunity to teach children about the civil rights movement and make connections to today’s collective efforts for change. RBWTSD gives children the chance to celebrate Ruby’s courage by walking to school.
“Salem-Keizer Safe Routes to School had a marvelous turn out for Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on November 14th, 2023. To kick off the event we partnered with the Salem-Keizer NAACP and were given Proclamations from Keizer Mayor Cathy Clark and Salem Mayor Chris Hoy. Each Mayor graciously proclaimed it Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day in their cities. This year in Keizer, Cummings and Forest Ridge Elementary Schools joined us. While in Salem we had six schools hold their own Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day: Bush, Grant, Wright, Lee, Washington, and Hammond Elementary Schools. Thousands of students walked in honor of Ruby Bridges and her brave walk to end segregation in school. The Ruby Bridges Foundation states, “Ruby believes the most important thing is uniting students. That is why this walk to school day is so important. It is a call to action. This day will be a day of dialogue encouraging students to participate in discussions about racism, bullying and youth activism on this day and throughout the school year. What better way to honor Ruby’s legacy.”
-Beth Schmidt
The event(s) in Salem were organized by SRTS Coordinator Beth Schmidt and SRTS Program Assistant Tania Perfecto.
Here are some images from the Ruby Bridges Walk in Salem:
