Students at Woodrow Elementary School in Modesto participated in the Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on Friday, marking their fourth year observing the event. The walk began at Davis Park Church of Christ on Rumble Road and followed the Virginia Corridor Trail to the school. Participants included students from all grades, family members, staff, Mayor Sue Zwahlen, and Councilmember Jeremiah Williams.
The event commemorates Ruby Bridges, who in 1960 became the first Black student to attend a previously all-white elementary school in New Orleans. Her enrollment at William J. Frantz Elementary School occurred amid strong opposition and threats from some community members, despite the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1954 Brown v. Board of Education decision that declared segregation in schools unconstitutional.
Trisha Rascon, a transitional kindergarten teacher and event organizer, said: “The value is just not forgetting about that important piece of history, of her walking into that school and making that first step of desegregating that school and showing that she had a right for an education there just like anyone else that was going to that school.”
The annual walk-to-school day originated after fifth-graders in South San Francisco advocated for a day honoring Ruby Bridges’ role in civil rights history. Their efforts led to the California Legislature designating November 14 as Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day in 2021.
Since then, the Ruby Bridges Foundation has partnered with AAA to support participating schools with educational materials and supplies for students. On Friday morning in Modesto, children received pennants, nylon bags, and knit caps provided by AAA.
Councilmember Williams stated: “Remembering is a very important tool in the minds of humans, and being able to remember people for what they do is important, whether it’s a walk, whether it’s what we do individually for each of our citizens and our families.”
