A few months ago, Caroline was asked to participate in her school's Women in History event. The students asked to join this are to do a presentation about a particular woman in history. They present it in a first-person account with a script written by a member of the American Association of University Women (AAUW).
Caroline was asked to do her presentation as Ruby Bridges, the first black child to enter an all-white school after the Brown vs. Board of Education decision that declared that "separate but equal" is unconstitutional and ordered integration of public schools. For the first time, there was no separation of education based on race.
Caroline and I went to Pepperdine University for their Bible Lecture Series. Ruby Bridges was speaking last night. We arrived, found two empty seats before Ms. Bridges was scheduled to speak. I looked around at the 1000+ seating around me and noticed that the audience consisted of predominantly white faces and a few faces of color. I was pleased to see so many Caucasians attending and supporting something that probably did not historically concern their families, but they understood the historical importance of the speaker.
The first video they presented was the news footage of Ruby being escorted by four US Marshals into the William Franz Elementary School in New Orleans. She was instructed to look straight ahead and not look at the crowd of people that would be there. As she exited the car with the Marshals, crowds of angry white parents screamed horrible things to her, threats of violence and death permeated the air. Threats that they would poison her food were screamed at her. A doll painted to look black and laid in a coffin was paraded around to frighten this six year old whose only "crime" was wanting a good education. All the parents at William Franz Elementary boycotted and did not allow their children to attend the school with "a ni***r." (their words, not mine).
The second video they presented was an interview with Dr. Robert Coles, who volunteered to help Ruby with any trauma she would suffer through this. He told the story of how one morning, Ruby suddenly stopped at the top of the school steps, turned around and looked at the crowd and began mouthing something. He asked her what she was doing. She said she was praying for them. He asked her why she was praying for them and she said, "Well, don't you think they need praying for?"
Then it was time to introduce Ms. Bridges. As she approached the stage, she received a standing ovation. She hadn't yet spoken a word.
Her gentle and humble spirit, sprinkled with a sense of humor everyone could relate to kept the audience spellbound as she told little anecdotes of her story: How her mother made her wear a jacket she hated and now every time she sees those photos, she's wearing that jacket. How the crowd was not nearly as fearful to her as her mama.
She explained that the school board, in an attempt to ensure the failure of this Supreme Court decision, allowed the integration to begin in the two schools they knew had the worst racism. Additionally, black children who wanted to be included in this program were required to submit to a test to see if they were intellectually qualified to be in the program. Ruby and 140 of others submitted to the test which was deliberately difficult so that few, if any children would pass and would therefore keep segregation in force by default.
The test took all day.
Out of those 140, only 6 passed enough to qualify for the program. She was pleased and proud that all 6 were girls. The audience laughed along with her. Three girls were in each school. Ruby was to be one of three girls in William Franz Elementary, but two girls dropped out at the last minute because of fear. Ruby was left to endure this alone. Her mother never wavered. She did not give in to fear. She knew it was right.
Ruby's previous all-black school was several miles from her home. William Franz Elementary was just 5 blocks away and was her neighborhood school. Her neighborhood was predominantly black families, but also had a few white families. What the cameras did not catch was that the residents of her neighborhood followed behind the car carrying Ruby, her mother, and the Marshals. She explained that this was at a time when parents looked out for each other's children. They wanted to ensure Ruby was safe too.
The "village" was in force that day.
Her first day was spent in the principal's office because no teacher wanted to teach her. The classrooms were empty due to the parents boycott. She and her mother sat all day in the principal's office despite the fact that there were plenty of teachers available to teach her. The bell rang to go home. Ruby told her mother that she thought this school was easy!
The second day, a new teacher, Mrs. Barbara Henry arrived. She was accustomed to teaching multiple ethnicities due to teaching on Naval bases where her husband was stationed. She warmly greeted Ruby and began teaching her that day. Mrs. Henry was subsequently shunned by her fellow teachers for teaching Ruby.
She was Ruby's only friend that year.
Ms. Bridges went on to explain that racism is not a black vs. white issue. It is a good vs. evil issue. It occurs when we only associate with those who look like us and think like us. She believes there are good and bad people and it cuts across racial lines.
Evil made itself known to Ruby at 6 years old. Good triumphed.
Evil made itself know to Ruby again in 2005.
Her oldest son, Craig, was murdered by someone who, in her words, "looked just like him." Out of all the things she endured: her brother was murdered and she raised his daughters, she lost her home to Katrina, her traumatic educational beginning as a 6 year old, THIS was by far the worst thing she ever endured.
Her son lived for 4 hours after he was shot 11 times. She and her husband were not allowed to see him because he told the doctors he did not want his mom to see him like this. He died in the emergency room.
Two years later, Ms. Bridges was admitted to the hospital with chest pain and numbness in her arm and leg. She was checked over and there was no sign of a heart attack. The doctors asked her if she had been under any stress. She explained that she was a speaker and that was stressful. She lost her home in Katrina, to which they said everyone was suffering from that. She explained that her son was killed two years prior, to which they insinuated that she should be over that since it had been two years. They then left the room.
The attending nurse told Ms. Bridges that these doctors were young and didn't understand that grief takes time and that no one has the right to tell her how long she should grieve. She never had children of her own, but lost her nephew, who she was close to, a few years prior and was still grieving. She asked about Ms. Bridges' son. She explained that he died on July 4th after being shot. The nurse asked her where she lived. Ms. Bridges explained that she lived on the other side of town at the time.
The nurse was quiet and sat down next to her. "I have not always worked at this hospital. I worked at the one across town and I remember your son," she said. He was carried in by a friend. I was his nurse that night. He told me he didn't want you to see him like this because he knew he was slipping away. He asked me if he could hold my hand and call me mom. I told him that was fine."
"I want you to know that he asked Jesus into his heart that night, He is now in a better place. You are not having a heart attack. God brought you here to me so that I could tell you about it and give you peace."
Good triumphed over evil again.
As she finished the story of her son, I began to hear a song in my head that we used to sing in church many years ago. I have not thought of this song in years:
This is Holy Ground
We're standing on Holy Ground
for the Lord is present
and where He is is holy.
I cannot explain it any better. I felt the presence of the Lord in that place as she spoke, tears falling down her face, our faces mirroring her tears.
A sacred moment.
Ms. Bridges message is one of hope in spite of the evil in this world. Her message is that racism is good vs evil. Good can and will triumph, but it takes the village. It takes us to speak out. It takes us to call out racism, bullying, and hatred when we see it and stand in the gap for those being mistreated. It takes education. It takes associating with those who look different than us and think different than us so that we can learn to understand each other and learn something from each other instead of hate each other for not looking, thinking, or believing like us.
It takes doing the right thing, even when we're afraid.
"The more faith is tested, the stronger it gets" she explained.
A standing ovation followed her talk. It lasted easily twice as long as the first standing ovation. For the first time, the camera caught her from the side and I noticed she was barefoot.
Holy ground.
The Pepperdine choir director was invited up to direct us in singing "The Lord Bless You and Keep You" for Ms. Bridges as a blessing. To my surprise, I remembered my alto part and heard all the other parts being sung by members of the audience.
A 1000-voice choir singing to Ms. Bridges to bless her. Another sacred moment.
Afterward, Caroline and I stood in the long line to meet her. It was a very quick meeting so that we could respect her time as well as those waiting to meet her. It was quite late at night and she was understandably tired and emotionally drained. Nevertheless, she warmly greeted Caroline with a handshake and thanked her for portraying her. She shook my hand as well. I took a photo of the two of them together. Her school and the AAUW were both thrilled for her to be able to meet the woman she portrayed.
We were grateful for the opportunity to meet a person of such great historical significance, who is still making a difference today. A woman who found her calling of unifying where there is division. Her steadfast faith in spite of the hardships she has endured is an example for us all.
I will never be the same.
No comments:
Post a Comment