Ruby Bridges, desegregation trailblazer, writes kids book

UNDATED (AP)- Ruby Bridges was a 6-year-old first-grader when she walked past jeering crowds of white people to become one of the first Black students at racially segregated schools in New Orleans in 1960. Now, she has authored a picture book about her experience for the youngest of readers. “I Am Ruby Bridges” goes on sale Tuesday (Sept. 6, 2022). It’s aimed at readers as young as 4 at a time when teaching the history of race in America has never been more difficult. Other books by or about Bridges have been challenged by conservatives. She says she hopes the new one winds up in elementary school libraries.

Ron Cogswell / CC