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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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
https://act.moveon.org/go/193127?t=8&akid=389206%2E40999114%2EsD2fGd

2. "'History is sacred': Ruby Bridges blasts attempts to 'cover up history' as her books are banned," NBC News, April 27, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/193119?t=10&akid=389206%2E40999114%2EsD2fGd

3. "A Florida School Banned a Disney Movie About Ruby Bridges. Here’s What That Really Means." The New York Times, March 29, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/193120?t=12&akid=389206%2E40999114%2EsD2fGd

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
https://act.moveon.org/go/193152?t=14&akid=389206%2E40999114%2EsD2fGd

5. "'History is sacred': Ruby Bridges blasts attempts to 'cover up history' as her books are banned," NBC News, April 27, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/193119?t=16&akid=389206%2E40999114%2EsD2fGd

6. "Ruby Bridges (1954-)," National Women's History Museum, accessed May 7, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/193121?t=18&akid=389206%2E40999114%2EsD2fGd

7. "President Biden Announces Recipients of the Presidential Medal of Freedom," The White House, May 3, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/193122?t=20&akid=389206%2E40999114%2EsD2fGd

8. "Ruby Bridges: Racism Is A Grown-up Disease. Let’s Stop Using Our Kids To Spread It," YouTube, January 23, 2024
https://act.moveon.org/go/193123?t=22&akid=389206%2E40999114%2EsD2fGd

9. "Banned in the USA: State Laws Supercharge Book Suppression in Schools," PEN America, April 20, 2023
https://act.moveon.org/go/173141?t=24&akid=389206%2E40999114%2EsD2fGd

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