Author and civil rights activist Ruby Bridges will give an address at Shannon Hall in Memorial Union on Wednesday, April 8 at 7 p.m., at a Wisconsin Union Directorate (WUD) Distinguished Lecture Series (DLS) Committee event, presented in collaboration with the WUD Society and Politics Committee.
In 1960, at the age of six, Bridges became the first Black student to integrate into an all-white elementary school in New Orleans, Louisiana. Her walk to school during the desegregation of public education was later depicted in Norman Rockwell’s piece “The Problem We All Live With,” chronicled in Robert Coles’ “The Story of Ruby Bridges” and portrayed in the Disney film “Ruby Bridges.”
The event, “A Fireside Chat With Ruby Bridges,” will feature a 60-minute moderated Q&A with Bridges that will center on the topics of equality, education and community, according to a press release from the Wisconsin Union Directorate Distinguished Lecture Series Committee. A 30-minute audience Q&A will follow. Current University of Wisconsin–Madison students may register for tickets on March 25.
As creator of the Ruby Bridges Foundation, a nonprofit that develops educational and leadership programs, Bridges encourages dialogue about diversity, equity and inclusion among youth and community leaders.
Bridges is the author of several books reflecting on her experiences and encouraging civic engagement, including “Through My Eyes,” “This Is Your Time,” “I Am Ruby Bridges,” “Dear Ruby, Hear Our Hearts,” and her most recent release, “Ruby Bridges: A Talk with My Teacher,” published in January 2025.
For more information about “A Fireside Chat With Ruby Bridges,” click here.
