The Problem We All Live With

The exhibit on Ruby Bridges, particularly Norman Rockewell's painting "The problem We All Live With," at the Center for Civil and Human Rights was one of the most powerful things we saw today. Four big National Guardsmen whose heads you couldn’t even see in the painting starkly contrasted the image of Ruby Bridges.  I felt as if the fact that those men were even needed to escort her speaks volumes not only about the people who were protesting her and desegregation but the larger fear of change that she symbolized. Although it seems so distant now Ruby Bridges lived in a time where the people of the places were traveling through--Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee--wanted nothing more than to maintain the status quo.  Seeing the painting and the pictures of her put into perspective the immense amount courage contained in that tiny girl but also the huge impact she had as a result of that.  We should all admire and strive for the courage that Ruby Bridges showed when she took those steps towards school and justice alike, facing head on unimaginable hatred at just the age of six.  

Sarah Riback, Baltimore City College