NEW ORLEANS, Louisiana — Lucille Bridges, mother of Civil Rights Activist Ruby Bridges, passed away Tuesday, Nov. 10.
In a statement from The City of New Orleans, Mayor LaToya Cantrell offered her condolences calling Bridges "A Mother of the Civil Rights Movement in New Orleans."
Lucille was the mother of five, including Ruby Bridges, who at the age of 6 was the first black student to integrate the all white school, William Frantz Elementary, in 1960 as a first grader.
When the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People requested that Ruby perform this great task her father said no, but her mother, who wanted the best education for her child, said yes.
Lucille Bridges encouraged her daughter to "take this step forward for all African-American children," as she along with four U.S. Marshals escorted her daughter to school passing through the crowds of protestors screaming racial slurs and expressing that she was not wanted in the school.
As Ruby's family faced adversity and hardships with her father losing his job and grandparents losing their home, Lucille Bridges strength remained unbounded during that time.
It was because of Lucille Bridges' love and support that Ruby graduated from a desegregated high school and became an icon in the Civil Rights movement, giving African American children everywhere the hope that they too could change the world.
"I think I speak for all mothers who want the best for their children when I hope for the same moral courage, bravery and love as that of Lucille Bridges. May she rest in God's perfect peace," Mayor LaToya Cantrell said.
