uChicago News | January 16, 2025
Ruby Bridges was just six years old when she became the first Black student to integrate an all-white New Orleans’ public school alone in 1960. Flanked by U.S. marshals, the world watched as she walked into William Frantz Elementary School past an angry mob—and into history.
The civil rights icon will discuss her experiences an activist, author and speaker on Jan. 29 at UChicago’s 35th annual Martin Luther King Jr. Commemoration Celebration. She will participate in a fireside chat with Assoc. Prof. Rashauna Johnson, a UChicago historian and New Orleans native who studies slavery, race and the nation.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. at Rockefeller Memorial Chapel. The evening’s program will also feature remarks from President Paul Alivisatos and performances by Uniting Voices Chicago. It is free and open to the public.