Sculpture to Honor Ruby Bridges

Published October, 2014

The Art Newspaper

Six-year-old Ruby Bridges walked into her first day of school November 14, 1960 at William Franz Public School in New Orleans through a large crowd of screaming protesters. Ruby Bridges was one of the first African American students to attend an integrated school in the Southern United States. Bridges has been honored as civil rights icon, yet there has never been a monument in her native city of New Orleans, until now. On the 54^th anniversary of her first day of school, Akili Academy, a charter school that occupies the old William Franz building will unveil a statue to Ruby by the California-based artist Mario Chiodo. The bronze sculpture weighs one ton and will, as Bridges says, “inspire the next generation of kids to do extraordinary things.”