The quality or state of having or showing mental or moral strength to face danger, fear, or difficulty.
BRAVERY
RUBY BRIDGES
“Don’t follow the path. Go where there is no path and begin the trail. When you start a new trail equipped with courage, strength, and conviction, the only thing that can stop you is you.”
— RUBY BRIDGES
The year was 1960 when the world became witness to a six-year-old’s bravery in the face of desegregated schools.
Ruby Bridges changed the nation when she became the first African-American student to integrate an elementary school in the South. The riots outside William Frantz Elementary in New Orleans would have deterred many. But her courageous actions led to a ripple effect of desegregated schools across the country. However, a [Florida school temporarily banned a film about Ruby’s story] – erasing the value of bravery in schools.
What other stories are we at risk of losing if these bans continue?
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Her brave act of refusing to give up her seat helped spur civil rights movements. A children’s picture book about her story, named I am Rosa Parks, by Brad Metzler was banned from Pennsylvania classrooms in 2021.
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Kochiyama, who often stood side-by-side with Malcolm X, was a fearless champion for civil rights and social justice after being interned in a Japanese-American camp during WWII.
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Bravely fought to defend his people’s land from European settlers in the late 19th century. Author Joseph Bruchac’s book, Crazy Horse’s Vision, was banned from Florida schools in 2022.
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Worked to exercise her right to vote. Her actions led to the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
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Set the stage for Black people and women as the first Black woman in Congress, first Black presidential candidate for a major political party, and as the first woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination.