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Hewitt and Ruby Bridges
Building the Diverse Workforce of the Future

This fall, and continuing through the school year, sixth grade students from schools in Waukegan and Deerfield, Illinois will be become pen pals--something that most of us would think is common for a school project.

Yet, these students live in two very different worlds and their letters are part of a program to bridge a major and challenging gap.

The pen pals are students from Caruso Junior High School in Deerfield, a mostly white high income school, and Jack Benny Junior High School in Waukegan, which has a Latino, African-American, and low-income white student body.

The innovative program, Ruby's Bridges, designed and run by the Ruby Bridges Foundation and sponsored by Hewitt, is designed to connect students, teachers, educators, and parents of different racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds who, despite decades of integration, are not interacting in schools. In addition to exchanging letters, the sixth graders will visit each others' schools and participate in a joint community service project.

Currently, the children are learning, through books and a Disney movie, about Ruby's own story as a student who broke down barriers. Soon they will meet each other---and Ruby---personally for the first time.

Bringing these children together opens their 11-year-old eyes to realities that for some are comparable to visiting another country. In the process they also begin learning how to be cross-cultural reconcilers. With the belief that prejudice and racism can be eliminated, the Foundation's objective is to change society through the education and inspiration of children.

"We believe racism is a grown-up disease, and we must stop using our children to spread it," says Ruby Bridges, civil rights pioneer and founder of The Ruby Bridges Foundation. "But this is not just about racism and African-Americans. It's all about inclusion for all races, religions, backgrounds, ages, and experiences."

With Hewitt seeking to partner with organizations aiming to build tomorrow's diverse workforce, the match was a natural one. Sponsorship of the Ruby's Bridges program for the Caruso and Jack Benny schools means that Hewitt will support the Foundation through contributions, pro-bono work, technology, and other resources.

"We're very proud that Hewitt is one of the first corporate partners of The Ruby Bridges Foundation," says CEO Dale Gifford. "I'm honored that Ruby has placed her trust in us to be part of her vision."

Adds Ruby, "It's really important to my work to find a trusted partner like Dale, and Hewitt, ready to commit to the spirit of diversity and inclusion in today's and tomorrow's corporate workforce."

Six-Year-old Ruby Bridges captured in Norman Rockwell's painting "The Problem We all Live With."

The story of Ruby Bridges changed the face of history. In 1960, the NAACP contacted Ruby's parents seeking children to participate in the integration of the New Orleans schools a few years after segregated schools were declared unconstitutional in the landmark Supreme Court Decision, Brown v. Board of Education. Ruby's parents felt it was their obligation to better their children's lives and help change a discriminatory system. Ruby crossed the threshold of this school, flanked by U.S. Marshals through a crowd of angry parents who had pulled their children from the school rather than have them share a classroom with a black child, to single-handedly initiate the desegregation of one of New Orleans's public schools. Due to the boycott, for one full year Ruby was the only student in her first grade class where a white teacher faithfully instructed her daily. As a Civil Rights pioneer and historical icon, Ruby continues to affect thousands of lives through her books, speaking engagements, and now through her Foundation.

CEO, Dale Gifford meets Ruby Bridges

Last summer, Hewitt hosted the training sessions that Ruby conducted for the principals and teachers from Jack Benny and Caruso schools. During that day, Ruby and Dale had the opportunity to meet and discuss how the partnership will help achieve their shared goals.

"As these children get to know peers whose experiences, backgrounds, and views of the world are very different, they can be healing bridges across deep-seated social barriers," says Andrés Tapia, leader of our Global Diversity, Inclusion, and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) area. "This isn't just about helping diverse people enter the workforce, it's also about learning how to work and live with those who are different---and it will have an impact on how inclusive our communities will be in the future."

Resources and Links

To learn more about Ruby Bridges:

• Access the Foundation's Web site www.rubybridges.org

• Read Ruby's first-person account, "Through my Eyes."

• Share the children's book "The Story of Ruby Bridges" by Harvard child psychologist, Dr. Robert Coles, with your family and friends.

• Watch the Disney video, Ruby Bridges.

• Ruby Bridges will be visiting Hewitt in 2004. Watch The Source for follow-up information.