Civil rights activist Ruby Bridges will be on the University of Wisconsin campus for “A Fireside Chat With Ruby Bridges,”  according to the Wisconsin Union Directorate. The event will take place at Memorial Union in the Shannon Hall April 8 at 7 p.m. as part of the Wisconsin Union Directorate Lecture Series. 

The “Fireside Chat” consists of a 60-minute moderated Q&A and a 30-minute audience Q&A, according to the Wisconsin Union. Prospective attendees can submit questions for Bridges through the Wisconsin Union website.

UW students can register for free tickets beginning March 25 through a promotion code sent to their email address, according to the Wisconsin Union. The event will become available to the public March 26 — any remaining tickets can be found on the Wisconsin Campus Arts ticketing page.

Ruby Bridges is a civil rights advocate, who was the first Black child to integrate into the formerly whites-only William Frantz Elementary School, according to the University of Chicago Library. On November 14, 1960, Bridges was escorted into the school for the first time by U.S. Marshals, and was met with a swarm of protestors, according to the National Women’s History Museum. Despite the discrimination she faced, Bridges never missed a day of school.

Bridges founded the Ruby Bridges Foundation in 1999, aiming to educate children about racial equality; her work today primarily concerns visiting and speaking at schools. Additionally, Bridges has authored several children’s books introducing desegregation and the Civil Rights Movement to a younger audience, according to the National Women’s History Museum. 

The WUD DLS series began in 1987 and is completely student-run, according to the Wisconsin Union. Anyone can nominate speakers through their website — the DLS committee then narrows this list down and reaches out for bookings.