Little or no French is spoken by the majority of folks in New Orleans, but common parlance isn't without French influence. One of the most surprising is a Brooklynese style heard in the 9th Ward, Irish Channel, and Chalmette sections of New Orleans. New Orleans is part of the deep south, but you won't find much of a stereotypical southern drawl in fact, there are several distinctive dialects. Its tone, lilt, and slang are indigenous to this city and reflect its ethnic history and tradition. Published by Orchard Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc., it's aimed at readers as young as 4.Ĭomplete with a glossary that includes the words “Supreme Court” and “law," the book is an uplifting story about opportunities and kids being able to make a difference, Bridges said in an interview with The Associated Press.The people of New Orleans have their own language. “I Am Ruby Bridges,” featuring illustrations by Nikkolas Smith, goes on sale Tuesday. Now, with teaching about race in America more complicated than it's ever been, she's authored a picture book about her experience for the youngest of readers.īridges, along with three other Black students at a different school, were the first to integrate what had been all-white schools in New Orleans in 1960. 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 more than six decades ago. Two years she published “This Is Your Time,” which is intended for older children than her new book. Last year, New Orleans held a weekend of events to remember Bridges and other women.īridges, a Mississippi native, still lives in metro New Orleans and has authored or co-authored five books.
And I feel like that little girl is still inside of me, and that's it's my calling to make sure kids understand that you can't look at someone and judge them," Bridges said.Įlsewhere in New Orleans on the same day Bridges went to school, Gail Etienne, Leona Tate and Tessie Prevost entered the previously all-white McDonogh No. “That shaped me into a person that is not prejudiced at all. Henry's acceptance and kindness during a fraught time taught her an important lesson, she said. White parents immediately began withdrawing their children, so Bridges spent the entire year by herself with white teacher Barbara Henry, who is still alive and a “very best friend,” Bridges said. The only parade that day was out of the school. What’s Mardi Gras without beads?” Bridges writes. “It really looks like Mardi Gras to me, but they aren’t throwing any beads. Told with a touch of humour from the vantage point of a first-grader, the book captures the wonder of Bridges’ experience - rather than just the scariness of that raucous first day at the school. The book’s theme plays off the author’s name: “Ruby” is a precious stone, and “Bridges” are meant to bring people together. The scene was made famous in the Norman Rockwell painting “The Problem We All Live With,” which hung in the White House near the Oval Office during the tenure of former President Barack Obama. 14, 1960, Bridges - carrying a plaid book satchel and wearing a white sweater - was escorted by four federal marshals past a taunting white crowd into segregated William Frantz Elementary School. Southern school districts, including New Orleans, continued resisting integration for years.īut on Nov. They're going to seek out those books.”īridges was born in 1954, the same year the US Supreme Court ruled that racial segregation of public schools was unconstitutional. “But I think parents really want to get past our racial differences.
“I've been very, very fortunate because of the way I tell my story that my babies come in all shapes and colours, and my books are bestsellers, and maybe banned in schools,” she said. Bridges said she hopes the new book winds up in elementary school libraries. “It’s a true reflection of what happened through my own eyes,” she said.īut books by or about Bridges have been challenged by conservatives in several school districts amid complaints over race-related teaching. US Deputy Marshals escort 6-year-old Ruby Bridges from William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, in this file photo from November 14, 1960.
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