[ [link removed] ]Ruby Bridges was just 6 years old when she integrated a school in the
South. Sign the petition to urge President Biden to award her the
Presidential Medal of Freedom for her bravery!
Dear MoveOn member,
President Biden just announced a slate of recipients for the Presidential
Medal of Freedom, including activists Opal Lee, Teresa Romero, Judy
Shepard, and Michelle Yeoh.^1 Ruby Bridges deserves to be among these
trailblazers. The story of 69-year-old civil rights icon and activist Ruby
Bridges, one of the first Black children to integrate elementary schools
in the South, is a crucial part of our nation's history. But right-wing
extremists like Moms for Liberty are fighting to erase her story from the
very classrooms she fought to integrate.
[ [link removed] ]Will you sign the petition calling on President Biden to award Bridges
the Presidential Medal of Freedom to honor her legacy as a civil rights
hero?
Multiple books telling Bridges' story of resilience in the face of
racism—including a children's book Bridges herself published just this
year, titled Dear Ruby, Hear Our Hearts—have been disputed or banned in
schools across the country.^2 Last year, one school in Florida canceled a
showing of a Disney movie about her life after a parent complained that
the subject matter was "inappropriate" for kids.^3 And extremist group
Moms for Liberty worked to pull Ruby Bridges Goes to School from an
elementary school curriculum last year, calling the instruction manual
that accompanied the book "divisive."^4
In interviews, Bridges has called these right-wing attempts to censor our
nation's history what they are: "ridiculous."^5 But while Republicans try
to sweep the truth under the rug and silence civil rights icons, there's
something we can do to make sure Bridges' story is heard and honored
forever.
[ [link removed] ]Will you sign the petition asking President Biden to honor Ruby Bridges
with the Presidential Medal of Freedom? Her inspiring story is integral to
our history—and together we can preserve her legacy as an American hero.
Ruby Bridges deserves to be awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom!
Urge Biden to include Bridges among the recipients for her continued fight
for equality and civil rights.
[4]Sign the petition
It's the duty of our education system to teach kids the truth about our
world while inspiring them to change it for the better. That mission is
what Bridges embodied when, at just 6 years old, escorted by U.S. marshals
through a crowd of violent protesters, she integrated an all-white
elementary school in New Orleans in 1960.^6 When Bridges took her first
step into her new school she helped to usher in a new era of progress for
America—one that Republicans are now trying to reverse.
The Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor, is
given only to those distinguished Americans who have made exemplary
contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United
States.^7 Since that day in 1960, Bridges has not stopped fighting to
build a more equitable, fair, and just future for all children. Bridges
has spoken publicly many times about the power of fighting back against
racism, especially for children, saying in a recent interview, "Racism is
a grown-up disease. Let's stop using our kids to spread it."^8 Bridges is
an inspiration and role model to children and adults across the country,
and she deserves to be honored as such.
[ [link removed] ]Tell President Biden: Ensure Bridges' story of bravery and triumph over
racism is never forgotten. Sign the petition to award Ruby Bridges the
Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Republicans have launched an all-out assault on the free expression by
minority voices and about integral parts of American history. In a
disturbing display of censorship, 2023 saw an unprecedented purge of
nearly 2,000 books from school libraries across the country. These books
primarily represent characters who are people of color or LGBTQ+, or
tackle significant themes such as racism.^9 These book bans are a blatant
attempt to distort historical truths and silence the diverse narratives
that are critical to understanding the full American experience.
The Republican book ban is a systematic erasure of our history and teaches
students that it's OK to let racism go unaddressed. This shouldn't be the
message we send to our kids. It's crucial that we preserve the stories of
civil rights icons like Bridges so that people can be inspired by her
story of resilience for generations to come.
[ [link removed] ]Ruby Bridges deserves to be honored for her bravery and contribution to
American progress. If you agree, sign the petition to tell President Biden
to award Bridges the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
Thanks for all you do.
-Kendra, Valeria, Aliya, Mohammad, and the rest of the team
Sources:
1. "Biden awards the Medal of Freedom to Nancy Pelosi, Medgar Evers,
Michelle Yeoh and 16 others,” Associated Press, May 5, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
2. "'History is sacred': Ruby Bridges blasts attempts to 'cover up
history' as her books are banned," NBC News, April 27, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
3. "A Florida School Banned a Disney Movie About Ruby Bridges. Here’s What
That Really Means." The New York Times, March 29, 2023
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
4. "'Black Lives Matter at School' Week Is a Marxist Attack on the Family,
Moms for Liberty Leader Warns," The Daily Signal, February 2, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
5. "'History is sacred': Ruby Bridges blasts attempts to 'cover up
history' as her books are banned," NBC News, April 27, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
6. "Ruby Bridges (1954-)," National Women's History Museum, accessed May
7, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
7. "President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Medal of
Freedom," The White House, May 3, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
8. "Ruby Bridges: Racism Is A Grown-up Disease. Let’s Stop Using Our Kids
To Spread It," YouTube, January 23, 2024
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
9. "Banned in the USA: State Laws Supercharge Book Suppression in
Schools," PEN America, April 20, 2023
[ [link removed] ][link removed]
You're receiving this petition because we thought it might interest you.
It was created on MoveOn.org, where anyone can start their own online
petitions. You can [ [link removed] ]start your own petition here.
Want to support MoveOn's work? The MAGA movement's book bans have forced
teachers and librarians across the country to remove books from their
shelves and censor what young people can learn. MoveOn is fighting back,
including by filling a "Banned Bookmobile" with books that the far right
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stop censorship. To keep up the fight against book bans and the MAGA
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