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this post was submitted on 22 Jan 2026
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Asklemmy
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6-year old Ruby Bridges walking to school.
This picture was always so powerful to me. I think I had that one famous illustrated storybook about Ruby Bridges.
On the one hand, very important photo to understand the context of the time.
On the other hand, monstrous that a child going to school was such a big deal and so much attention was focused on her. Can't imagine that making a positive impression on a child.
When federal agents were actually protecting minorities.
Pretty much only the federal agents who were directly ordered to though, most of the rest of them were busy putting the boot on minorities here and everywhere else in the world.
yeah this is the era of COINTELPRO, they were only helping minorities while on camera
What's the context for this? What country?
This is in the United States, during segregation.
The little girl in the picture is Ruby Bridges. In 1960, she was one of the first Black kids to integrate a school. In this picture, she is walking to an all-Whites school and the guards are protecting her because the racist white adults wanted to harm her just for wanting to go to school.
Ruby Bridges is still alive today.
Thanks. Did you just expect everyone to just know this when you posted the photo?
You guys have such a crazy history. And present.
It's a very famous photo here.
Not here
wouldn't really expect it to be
Cheers. 1960... it blows my mind.
Basically the US government decided to de-segregate schools in order to counter the "malign influence" of Soviet "lies" that the US is an apartheid state, but soon realized that the people were so racist that the black schoolchildren needed federal agents as personal bodyguards to prevent lynchings.
US Gov: "We're not an apartheid state!"
[A few moments later...]
US Gov: "...errrm"
Oooh that's a good one!
I read about Ruby Bridges when I was a child in NZ, it made a huge impression on me.