Ruby Bridges, the first Black student to integrate into an all-white elementary school in the South, took over Selena Gomez’s Instagram account on Sunday to share some never-seen-before footage of this historic day. In 1960, Bridges enrolled at an all-white school in New Orleans and was famously escorted into the school by US Marshals as protesters stood outside.
Ruby Bridges Takes Over Selena Gomez’s Instagram, Sharing Footage of Her Historic Integration Into an All-White School in 1960
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During the Instagram takeover, Bridges introduced a series of clips from a documentary that showed her first day of first grade at William Frantz Elementary in New Orleans, followed by an excerpt from the documentary, The Children Were Watching, which shows the violence the Gabriel family faced as Daisy Gabriel, a Latina mother, tried to bring her daughter to school the same day Bridges integrated the school. The division and anger displayed is heart-wrenching.
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The takeover was part of a partnership between non-Black celebrities and Black leaders, activists, artists, and others to illuminate their stories and experiences.
“I want you to remember that it is all of our shared history. This is your legacy too,” said Bridges on Instagram.