San Mateo Daily Journal
By Corey Browning
Ruby Bridges, who at 6 years old was the first Black child to enroll at a previously all-white school in New Orleans in 1960, received her own statewide day of recognition because of the activism that began in a South San Francisco fifth grade classroom.
“It’s a culmination of more than three years’ worth of teaching and learning and campaigning,” said Deborah Carlino, the Martin Elementary School teacher whose fifth graders in 2017 were inspired by Bridges’ story to petition for the day of recognition.
The youth-led effort has already gained significant local traction, with Nov. 14 officially named Ruby Bridges Walk to School Day countywide in 2019. Last year, 55 schools across seven states participated, and the day was approved for statewide recognition through a resolution authored by state Sen. Josh Becker, D-San Mateo. The state Senate passed Becker’s resolution Friday, Sept. 10, with an unanimous, bipartisan vote.
“The fifth-graders taught by Deborah Carlino at Martin Elementary School in my district have taken Ruby’s legacy to heart. They are working to gain widespread and increasing recognition for Ruby, who when she was just 6 years old walked to school day after day amid angry mobs spewing racial epithets and other hate speech. I am proud to have helped the fifth-graders of Martin Elementary School advance their campaign,” Becker said...