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	Vol.7, No 46, November 17, 1999
	Author shares experiences of racism By Christine Rhee Daily Forty-Niner Ruby Bridges is widely known as the brave little girl who was escorted into her elementary school by U.S. marshals after the success of the '60s desegregation movement in the South.  Bridges, now a successful author, shared her experiences of racism with students and the community in the University Library last week.  "When you get out of the car, don't turn around -- just walk straight ahead," was the last thing Bridges heard from her mom just minutes before she stepped out from the car to go to school.  As she walked through an angry mob of protesters in front of France Elementary School in Louisiana, 6-year-old Bridges had no idea what was going on.  "I remember seeing a huge crowd of people shouting and pointing as we approached the school," Bridges said. "And living in New Orleans, I thought it was Mardi Gras." According to Bridges, she was the only student in school for first grade.  "It was just me and Ms. Henry," Bridges said. "No white teacher wanted to teach a black child.  "The parents wanted to pull their children out of the school because of me," she said.  Although Bridges had no friends, no recess and wasn't allowed to eat in the school cafeteria, she remembers enjoying school thanks to Ms. Henry.  "Ms. Henry always prepared many fun things for me to do with her everyday," Bridges said. "But I constantly wondered when the other kids would show up. Later I found out that Ms. Henry wanted to keep me from focusing on what's going on outside and searching for other kids." As long as adults teach racism to children, racism will continue to exist in society, Bridges said.  "Racism is a form of disease," Bridges said. "Stop using kids to spread it. "We should continue to strive to change. We know it's a struggle, but in the midst of it we need to know that it's our fight, not our children's," she said. After the speech, a slide show was shown with photos of Bridges, which included photos of her walking into the school for the first time, the protesting mob, Mrs. Henry and more.  Audience members were moved by the presentation. "As a mother, I now have a stronger sense of responsibility," said Gayle Colman, a Long Beach resident, as she looked at her child. "I want to help her to grow up to be an open person, someone who is smart enough to choose good friends not by the color of their skin but by who they are inside." As a special education teacher, Colman also said that she wanted to take her students at face value and love them. Cameron Flanders, a Cal State Long Beach student majoring in education, came away with an increased awareness of the racism still existing in society. "I was moved by her vision of the adults' responsibility,"  Flanders said. "I think it's very important that we let our children know of our history."		Koi head for new homes   Student cheers restaurant job   College Week begins   CSULB conference helps American-Indian students   Professor to read award-winning work Free ride for famous   ATM service fees OK for banks   LETTER TO THE EDITOR Author shares experiences of racism Ice Dogs sweep Wolves   Club hockey faces familiar opponents Fall 99 ISSUES DAILY 49ER HOMEPAGE
Forty-Niner Publications, Department of Journalism, California State University, Long Beach ©1999 All rights reserved.