BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — In neighborhoods across Bakersfield, community groups are stepping up—walking children to school and pushing for safer infrastructure, continuing the legacy of civil rights activist Ruby Bridges.

On Friday, GirlTrek, a national health and wellness organization for Black women, joined students at Williams Elementary to honor the historic walk 6-year-old Ruby Bridges took in 1960 as she integrated an all-white school.

“Ruby Bridges was a young girl who was part of desegregation, and she had to have the National Guard escort her to school,” a GirlTrek representative said. “So we, as GirlTrek, wanted to come out and support students.”

Nine local organizations participated in the event, including The Blue Zones Project, which selected Williams Elementary to highl

See Full Page