From the 1930’s America had been trying to ban segregated schools across the country. The story is told about a town in New Orleans in the southeastern region of the USA in the 1950’s, when a federal judge ordered that black and coloured children could go to school with the white children and attend the school together. Up until then the schools across the nation were segregated a school for the white children and one for the coloured children. Generally, the white schools were better than the coloured schools. Furthermore, some of the black coloured children couldn’t go to school at all. However, the white parents were furious, they didn’t agree with the ruling of the judge. They met together and agreed that if one black child came to their school they would forbid their own children from going to school. So, they sent out warnings for the black children to stay at home or they would be in grave trouble. The children were scared and nearly all the black boys and girls stayed at home. Except one brave little girl called Ruby. She went to school and every morning she walked alone through the heckling crowds to an empty school. White people lined up on both sides of the street and shook their fists at her. They threatened to do terrible things to her if she kept coming to their school. Nevertheless, every morning Ruby walked, head up, eyes straight ahead, passing through the mob to go to school. She had two police men in front of her and two guarding her from behind. Then she spent the day alone with her teachers inside that big silent school building. What made Ruby such a courageous child? Her mother was asked this question and she replied that there’s a lot of people who talk about doing good, and a lot of people who argue about what’s good and what’s not good. But there are other folks who just put their lives on the line for what’s right. And that was Ruby. She had the right to go to school and no matter what others thought she was going to do the right thing. On the 17th May 1954 the U.S. Supreme Court unanimously ruled that segregation in public education was unconstitutional.
Ruby was prepared to stand up against the injustices of her time. The holy scriptures exhort us to ‘defend the poor and fatherless: do justice to the afflicted and needy.’, in the book of Psalm 82 verse 3. We know that the throne of God is a throne of justice, but where is justice and truth to be found today? It is found in Jesus Christ. The prophet Jeremiah said in chapter 23 verse 5 ‘Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth.’ That branch speaks of Jesus, he is the fulfilment of the prophecy. Christ is the just judge who sits on the throne of justice. Maybe you feel you have been wronged by someone, turn to Christ he will help you to accept what has happened, he will give you the strength to stand up against injustices. Move over, he will encourage you not to fill your life with bitterness and sadness instead come to Christ and he will help comfort you in your time of trial.
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