21 Feb Kids Can Be Heroes Too: Celebrating Ruby Bridges and Black History Month

February is Black History Month and our family has been blessed and encouraged as we have listened to, watched, and read the stories of many men, women, and children who have reflected the love of Christ in outstanding ways throughout many generations of human history.

We began by watching the Disney movie “Ruby Bridges” for our family movie night. For those of you who don’t know about Ruby, she is the first African American child to integrate an all-white public elementary school in the South. She was only six when she was escorted by her mother and US marshalls (due to the violent mobs that were protesting her admission) into a New Orleans public school in 1960.

Everything about her and her family’s story is inspiring and challenging, but in particular, as followers of Christ, it was extremely impactful to see her, a six year old child, praying for her (adult) enemies who were filled with racism, hatred, and cruelty. My older daughters were blown away by her conviction of faith in Christ and the tangible reality of God’s love that was evidenced through her actions. I highly recommend watching the movie and discussing it with your kids. You can read more about her here.

For our morning devotions we are reading a wonderful book called Heroes in Black History: True Stories from the Lives of Christian Heroes. This book includes brief biographies of men and women and highlights a particular character quality that we observe in their lives such as compassion or perseverance. There are scripture verses and questions for discussion to accompany each biography. Our family has been enriched by reading of the bravery and Christ-like character of these men and women and the questions have equipped us to reflect on how we can grow in godly character as well:

Finally, a few evenings a week I am taking time to read segments from the youth version of the book Just Mercy to my older daughters. This book by Bryan Stevensen which The New York Times called “as compelling as To Kill a Mockingbird,” offers a glimpse into the lives of the wrongfully imprisoned and his efforts to fight for their freedom. Note that as the “young adult” version, this is not a book that is appropriate for younger kids. It contains very difficult subject matter and if you choose to read it with your kids it can be helpful to do a pre-read and decide which sections you think are appropriate for their level of maturity. We have had many deep discussions from these readings that have been thought provoking and challenging.

Do you have any recommended resources to pass on as we celebrate Black History Month? Please share in the comments below!