Memphis, TN, May 09, 2023 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The National Civil Rights Museum is proud to partner with civil rights and literacy advocate Ruby Bridges for the sixth year to host the Ruby Bridges Reading Festival on Saturday, May 13, from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm. The free festival celebrates Bridges’ legacy of advocating for equal rights, literacy, and tolerance by bringing together families across racial, economic, and educational backgrounds through reading.
At the age of six, Bridges was the first Black student to integrate an all-white elementary school in New Orleans. She was born in Mississippi in 1954, the same year the United States Supreme Court handed down its landmark decision ordering the integration of public schools. Her family later moved to New Orleans, where on November 14, 1960, Bridges began attending William Frantz Elementary School, initiating the desegregation of public education in New Orleans. Her walk to the school's front door was immortalized in Norman Rockwell’s painting, “The Problem We All Live With,” in Robert Coles’ book The Story of Ruby Bridges, and in the Disney movie “Ruby Bridges.” She has written the New York Times bestseller This Is Your Time, which follows the publication of her award-winning autobiography, Through My Eyes. She established the Ruby Bridges Foundation to provide leadership training programs that inspire youth and community leaders to embrace and value the richness of diversity.
“I am so proud of this partnership with the National Civil Rights Museum and the tradition we’ve built together of supporting the community and emphasizing the importance of literacy,” said Bridges. “We have a terrific line-up of authors this year, and I can’t wait to see all those smiling faces!”
After receiving the Museum’s 2015 Freedom Award, Bridges wanted to help promote literacy in Memphis by implementing the festival. Bridges received numerous awards, including the NAACP Martin Luther King Award, the Presidential Citizens Medal, and honorary doctorate degrees from Connecticut College, College of New Rochelle, Columbia University Teachers College, and Tulane University.
“As we continue facing post-pandemic and education budget challenges, the museum is committed to advancing literacy in our community and helping families connect with the resources they need to further the education of young learners,” said Museum President, Dr. Russ Wigginton. “Community events like the Ruby Bridges Reading Festival allow parents and educators to acquire summer reading resources for enrichment opportunities that can impact tomorrow’s future leaders.”
Over 10,000 children’s books are typically given away during the festival. Children pre-K through elementary school not only receive free books at the event but can also enjoy fun activities including music, balloon art, magic shows, craft activities, and storytelling by children’s book authors.
Guest readers are children’s book authors including:
- Civil rights icon Ruby Bridges, author of Through My Eyes, Ruby Bridges Goes to School: My True Story, This Is Your Time, and her 2022 release, I Am Ruby Bridges
- Civil rights icon Joan Trumpauer Mulholland, author of She Stood for Freedom.
- Andrew Maraniss - author of Inaugural Ballers
- Bellen Woodard - author of More Than Peach
- Bryan Collier - illustrator of We Are Here
The event is sponsored by Ruby Bridges Foundation, International Paper, Sylvamo, and the Tennessee Arts Commission. Community partners include Porter Leath’s Books from Birth, CazaTeatro, and the Memphis Public Libraries.
The format is picnic-style on the grounds of the museum’s Founders Park. Guests are encouraged to bring blankets. The festival will occur inside the museum’s Hooks Hyde Hall in case of rain. For more information, visit civilrightsmuseum.org.
About the National Civil Rights Museum
The NATIONAL CIVIL RIGHTS MUSEUM, located at the historic Lorraine Motel where civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated, gives a comprehensive overview of the American Civil Rights Movement from 1619 to the present. Since the Museum opened in 1991, millions of visitors from around the world have come, including more than 90,000 students annually. Serving as the new public square, the Museum is steadfast in its mission to chronicle the American civil rights movement, examine today’s global civil and human rights issues, provoke thoughtful debate, and serve as a catalyst for positive social change.
A Smithsonian Affiliate and an internationally acclaimed cultural institution, the Museum was recognized as TripAdvisor Travelers’ Choice Top 5% U.S. Museum, USA Today's Top 10 Best American Iconic Attractions; Top 10 Best Historical Spots in the U.S. by TLC's Family Travel; Must See by the Age of 15 by Budget Travel and Kids; Top 10, American Treasures by USA Today; and Best Memphis Attraction by The Commercial Appeal and the Memphis Business Journal.
