Celebrate Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day on November 14

Every year on November 14, Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day honors the power of dialogue and movements built by young people, and the wisdom young people have to change the world — just as Ruby Bridges did when she took her historic walk to school on November 14, 1960, at just six years old. 

It was an honor to speak with Ruby, alongside artivist and illustrator Nikkolas Smith, about becoming a civil rights icon at six years old and how books inspire young people to act. When Ruby spoke to booksellers at Children’s Institute in Milwaukee this year, she made this clear: Young people are changing the world, and booksellers make that change possible. It’s why we fight tirelessly for the right to read across the country, and keep our communities local first and independent always. 

Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day is an opportunity to deepen ties to your community at your store — with young people, their families, and their teachers — and make your store a place where young people feel empowered, seen, and know they belong. 

Want to get involved? Here are some ideas to ignite your community this Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day:  

• Collaborate with Schools. Check your school district’s calendar for a Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day observance. Let your districts know you support them and the celebration! If able, offer to collaborate with your district or local school on November 14. 

• Promote Relevant Titles. Set up a Walk to School Day display or did-you-know section near your store’s kids section. Plan relevant face-outs on shelves, or a digital display on your store’s website or Bookshop.org page. Highlight frontlist and backlist titles that empower young people to take action, either by Ruby Bridges herself or others, and books for adults to help kids make sense of big issues like racism and bullying.

• Advocate! Add Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day to your bookstore’s advocacy efforts. Foster dialogue in your community on book bans, civil rights, anti-racism, and what kids, teachers, and parents can do to make our neighborhoods open to all. Simple notes or facts on your website, a curbside chalk sign, window displays, or even a one sheet can go a long way to continuing important conversations in your neighborhood. 

• Celebrate on Social Media. Use #RubyBridgesWalktoSchoolDay or #RBWTSD2023 and promote your store on social media as a place for kids to visit and continue the conversations they had in school — with each other, or with a thought-provoking book. Booksellers can share their books for young readers about dialogue, activism, and local action in threads, photos, posts, or stories. 

• Host a Gathering. If you are able, host a kids or teens afternoon at your store! Offer a space for young people in your community to meet one another and think through issues big and small together. 

Learn more and find assets, posters, and event ideas on the Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day website, and share your celebrations with ABA!