Civil rights icon Ruby Bridges shares insights at annual MLK Jr. luncheon in Lansing

LANSING — When she was 6, Ruby Bridges defied white segregationists and did what many children do each fall: She went to school.

Bridges, now 69, was escorted by U.S. marshals into the William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, Louisiana, on Nov. 14, 1960. A crowd of white protesters verbally assaulted her that day. And they continued to assault the little girl and her mother every day that year.

Despite the repeated taunting, bullying and hatred, Bridges didn't miss a day of school. Her family's efforts are celebrated as a pivotal moment in the desegregation of schools.

"It may have looked like I was alone," she said of the pictures taken of her walking into the building. "But I wasn't. The Lord was with me then, and he is with me now."

Bridges, among the first Black children in the South to integrate an all-white school, was the featured speaker Monday for Lansing's Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Commission of Mid-Michigan's Day of Celebration luncheon, with more than 1,500 people attending.

"This is the biggest, baddest luncheon honoring Dr. King," said Tony Baltimore, first vice chair of the commission.

Bridges has continued to be a civil rights activist, and has become an author and speaker.

"I have one foot in the past, and one in the present," she said. "And that's an uncomfortable place to be sometimes. I've seen what it was like, and reminded of repeating that again in the present."

Bridges said the biggest problem facing society today is not racism, but good and evil. She called racism a part of that battle. Increasing violence is especially concerning to her.

"Racism is making us think that we can only trust people who look like us — that is killing us all."

Congresswoman Elissa Slotkin, D-Holly, said meeting Bridges reminded her that the Civil Rights Movement took place recently in U.S. history.

“She is a young woman. This is not a woman, you know, from the history books only, she is live and vibrant, and that means it’s only been through short living memory that her story was told,” she said.

Even though the events took place a little less than 65 years ago, Bridges said she's disturbed by the efforts of legislatures and schools to erase or rewrite parts of civil rights history.

She said she believes that by showing what people are capable of doing, people can inspire a new generation of leaders to continue pursuing justice and equal rights.

"History isn't taught the way it had been, which is very unfortunate," she said. "When you're covering up the bad things that we did to each other, you also have to cover up the good."

Honoring James Bibbs

In addition to hearing from the civil rights icon, the commission honored the first Black track and field coach at Michigan State University, James Bibbs.

Bibbs, who also was the first Black track coach in the Big 10, was honored with the King Legacy of Service Award.

Bibbs coached at MSU from 1968 to 1995. His children, who attended Monday's event, described him as a "true legend."

"Not only did he mentor his own kids, his grandkids, but many others across the country," son Andrew Wells said.

"He's a legend, but sometimes he doesn't realize it," daughter Diana Bibbs added. "He's a loving father, he taught me to persevere."

Bibbs did not know he would be honored at the event.

"Looking around, at all the great people here... I'm so proud of having any type of award connected to Dr. King," he said. "Thank you, thank you and thank you"

Bibbs, who was MSU's homecoming grand marshal in 2022, had a career that spanned more than five decades, his biography notes. He coached high school, AAU club sports, collegiate, national and international teams.

During his tenure at MSU, his athletes earned 52 Big Ten titles, and he coached 26 All-Americans, including world record holders Herb Washington and Marshall Dill, U.S. Olympian Judi Brown Clarke and U.S. Olympic head women’s coach Karen Dennis.

He founded the Detroit Track Club, winning five consecutive women’s national relay championships and was the U.S. Women’s Pan American team head coach in 1967.

Other honorees Monday included student essay and scholarship winners. Along with the "Star-Spangled Banner," the Dream Orchestra played "Lift Ev'ry Voice." The event ended with a blessing from pastor Mark Parker, of the Tabernacle of David Church.

Speakers Monday included Lansing Mayor Andy Schor, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, U.S. Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Michigan, and Slotkin.

This year's MLK Jr. Day event event was the largest held organizers said, and was the first in-person celebration since the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Today spans generations," commission board member Kwafo Adarkwa said. “King’s legacy has been impactful… But also shows where we need to go.”

Contact Sarah Atwood at satwood@lsj.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @sarahmatwood.

This article originally appeared on Lansing State Journal: MLK Jr. Day luncheon features Ruby Bridges, who integrated southern school