Photo by Jesse Scheve/Missouri State University
by Alexandria Givens
Hello Bears and welcome back to the blog for this week. I hope the last few weeks have been kind to you and that your classes are going well.
The semester is going well for me but it’s a little bittersweet because this is one of my very last blog posts before graduation in May. However, I am taking everything one day at a time because rushing things never works.
I wanted to start the semester with a blog post about someone who inspired me growing up and continues to do so as I get older. That person is American civil rights activist, Ruby Bridges.
Ruby Bridges
Ruby Bridges was one of the first African American students at the age of six to integrate a school in the south. Ruby integrated a school in the south because in 1954 the Supreme Court ruling of Brown v. The Board of Education ordered that all schools desegregate. She was one of a few students that passed the entry exam given by the state to see if African American students were on a similar level as their counterparts. Ruby and her family endured a significant amount of racism every day that she attended school. She had to be escorted everywhere and couldn’t even go to recess with the other kids. Ruby was the only student in her class because parents pulled their children out of the school and only one teacher, Barbara Henry, agreed to teach her. Ruby never stopped going to school so as time passed she paved the way for other African American children to attend schools that were desegregated like hers. Today, Ruby Bridges is 68 years old, a mother, and wife, as she remains a lifelong activist for racial equality.
Why?
Black history is a big part of what I learned in school and what my parents taught me about when I was at home. The first time I heard about Ruby Bridges I had to be around seven or eight years old and I was just starting to learn and understand more about black history so I didn’t have any idea about who she was. When I learned about Ruby’s story and what she went through as a little girl, I just never forgot about it. A young girl and her family endured so much and regardless of that, they stayed strong. I couldn’t imagine someone just being six years old and having the strength and willingness to do what she did and go against so many that hated the idea of desegregation. Ruby Bridges and so many other people contributed to my future in terms of my schooling and education making it easier for me to be where I am today. Without people like Ruby Bridges, I wouldn’t be able to have met the people that I have, attend Missouri State, or just be given the same opportunities as everyone else. One of my goals had always been to go to college and graduate but without people like Ruby Bridges that might not have ever been possible. I’ve learned to keep my head up, stay strong in the hardest of situations and be the change that I want to see. Ruby Bridges is an individual that has inspired me with her achievements, resilience, and overall dedication to achieving her goals.
Takeaways
There are a lot of people that have helped me to become more successful but without any inspiration, drive, or motivation I probably wouldn’t have gotten this far. I hope that sharing someone who inspires me could make you think about who that someone or something could be for you. Feeling inspired can play a role in your everyday life from creating ideas to just taking action and doing something you’ve always wanted to do. Your journey as a college student is going to have its moments but having some sort of inspiration can get you through it. Finding inspiration can be a bit hard so try looking in the most unexpected places.
Be sure to take a look at some past blog posts and be on the lookout for all new topics.
Happy Week Six!!!
~Alexandria
(Bio: I’m the middle child of seven kids in my immediate family. I’m currently a Senior Business major at Missouri State University.)
