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Ravenswood City School District hosted its third annual Ruby Bridges Walks to School Day event on Thursday morning, Nov. 14. Over 60 community members gathered at Jack Farrell Park in East Palo Alto before heading off on a symbolic walk to Costaño Elementary School of the Arts before school bells rang.
The event is celebrated nationwide in honor of Bridges, a civil rights activist who was one of the first African American students to attend an all-white public school in Louisiana in 1960 — a historic moment during the Civil Rights Movement.
The famous photo of Bridges being escorted by federal marshals lives in textbooks today.
In honor of Bridges, the Ravenswood community dressed in purple shirts, beanies, and backpacks as they marched down waving Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day flags down Fordham Street.
“The symbolic walk is intended to commemorate the journey of Ruby Bridges and her dedication to education and equality,” said Gabriel Anguiano, coordinator of family and community engagement at RCSD. “That’s what Ravenswood stands for and that is our Ravenswood Promise.”
In 2018, a group of fifth graders in South San Francisco, inspired by Ruby’s courage, advocated to make Nov. 14 Ruby Bridges Day, according to the San Mateo County Office of Education website. In September 2021, state Sen. Josh Becker, D-Menlo Park, helped shepherd legislation that proclaimed Nov. 14 as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day.
Ravenswood hosted the walk in partnership with the San Mateo County Office of Education Safe Routes to School and the cities of East Palo Alto and Belle Haven. Across from Jack Farrell Park is a Black Lives Matter mural painted on Fordham Street, which Anguiano said is symbolic of the community and the causes they support.
At the event, Costaño Principal Ronda White gave a speech on the significance of Ruby Bridges and what the day stood for. Superintendent Gina Sudaria also spoke on how important it is for students, families and community members to come together.
After the walk, students and community members enjoyed hot cocoa and pastries provided by local partner organizations.
