Portland students take part in ‘Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day’

PORTLAND, Ore. (KPTV) - Private school students in Portland honored a major milestone in the civil rights movement on Tuesday.

Sixty-three years ago, on Nov. 14, 1960, Ruby Bridges made history. The then 6-year-old became the first African-American child to attend a formerly segregated school in New Orleans.

“Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day” is a national event to commemorate the historic day by learning all about Bridges’ story and how her actions as a young child created a ripple effect that continues to impact schools and communities nationwide.

Students in northeast Portland started at All Saints School, then walked about a mile and a half to Central Catholic High School.

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Among those students is Delainy Williams, a senior at Central Catholic, who says being able to take part in something like this makes her feel empowered.

“Ruby was only six when she integrated into an all-white school, and I can’t imagine how scary it was for her to be in such a hostile environment. It makes me feel strong as a person of color to have someone like her to look at for support, for an example of how strong it is a how it empowering it is to be a woman of color,” Williams said.

This is an annual event that happens nationwide but it’s the first one to happen at Central Catholic. Last year, more than 343,000 students took part across the country.

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