August 1, 2026 10:00 AM – 2:00 PM
The National Civil Rights Museum Campus
A Day of Learning and Community at the Ruby Bridges Reading Festival
This special event celebrates reading, diversity, and community, all in a vibrant, family-focused atmosphere. Perfect for children from pre-K through elementary school, the festival offers something for everyone, from inspiring storytelling to kids activities that make learning come alive.
Meet the Authors
This year’s festival welcomes three very special guests:
- Ruby Bridges, civil rights icon and author of I Am Ruby Bridges
- Bellen Woodard, author of Ballet Brown
- Nikkolas Smith, author-illustrator of A Change is Gonna Come
All three will read aloud on the mainstage and sign books throughout the day.
A Full Day of Fun
Kids will be delighted by exciting entertainment like balloon art, a live puppet show, magic shows, and bubble making with a DJ dance party. Also, free dental and vision screenings will be available for families throughout the festival.
Every child will have the chance to take home free books to build their personal libraries, and educators with valid school ID can receive complimentary books for their classrooms.
Through engaging stories and fun, interactive experiences, families will explore the importance of inclusion, kindness, and standing up for what’s right.
Don’t miss this opportunity to celebrate literacy, civil rights, and the joy of community. It’s a day your family won’t forget!
Schedule
10:00 AM – Festival kickoff with music from DJ Truck; dental and vision screenings begin in the Boeing Gallery
10:05 AM – Puppet show with Kids on the Block
10:30 AM – Welcome program with remarks from Dr. Russ Wigginton and Ruby Bridges
10:45 AM – Bellen Woodard reads from Ballet Brown; author book signings begin in the Freedom Award Gallery
10:50 AM – Puppet show continues
11:15 AM – Bellen Woodard reading and book signing
11:35 AM – Desayuno Con Libros bilingual storytime
12:00 PM – Magic Mr. Nick magic show
12:25 PM – Nikkolas Smith reads from A Change Is Gonna Come
12:45 PM – Ekpe Abioto African drumming performance
1:05 PM – Children’s March with African drumming
1:30 PM – Ruby Bridges reads from I Am Ruby Bridges, followed by a Q&A with students
1:55 PM – Closing remarks and thank you
All day (10 AM – 2 PM) in Founders Park:
Free book giveaway, children’s activities including bubbles, balloon art, and temporary tattoos, an open play zone, and community partner tables offering local resources.
Author book signings take place in the Freedom Award Gallery throughout the day; check the schedule above for each author’s reading time, since signings pause while they’re on stage.
Food trucks are available on Mulberry Street throughout the day
Museum Store is open in Founders Park for festival merchandise and books.
Meet the Authors
At six years old, Ruby Bridges became the first Black child to integrate an all-white elementary school alone in New Orleans, six years after the Supreme Court declared school segregation unconstitutional. Today she continues that work through literacy, public engagement, and youth advocacy. Through the Ruby Bridges Foundation and her books, Bridges encourages children to embrace inclusion, reject prejudice, and recognize their power to create positive change. Bridges first partnered with the Museum after receiving its Freedom Award in 2015, helping establish the Ruby Bridges Reading Festival as a signature literacy event that brings together children from across the Mid-South.
Bellen Woodard is the 15-year-old scholar, entrepreneur, CEO, and best-selling author who founded the company and movement —Bellen’s More than Peach Project (“More than Peach®”) —at age eight. Known as the world’s first “Crayon Activist,” she created inclusive crayons and school supplies that feature a full range of skin tones alongside a rainbow spectrum of shades—helping children feel seen while expanding language, awareness, and belonging in classrooms worldwide. Her work has helped shift expectations across education and the children’s products space, and she is proudly independent from any large crayon brand.
Woodard is the author of three Scholastic titles, including acclaimed titles: More Than Peach and Ballet Brown. Her impact has been recognized nationally: her crayons and related materials are held in museum collections, and her books have been added to the Library of Congress. She has been featured by major outlets and honored by leading organizations, including being named a TIME100Voices & KOTY honoree.
Intellectually curious, she loves history and science, and enjoys travel, dance (ballet, lyrical, and contemporary), and the arts. More than Peach products are available at major retailers and her books are sold wherever books are available.
Nikkolas Smith is an Artivist, #1 NYT Bestseller picture book creator, and Hollywood film illustrator and concept artist (Sinners, Black Panther Wakanda Forever, Judas and the Black Messiah, Space Jam II, They Cloned Tyrone). He is the author/illustrator of several picture books: the USA TODAY Bestselling The Artivist, the NAACP Image Award nominated The Golden Girls of Rio, and My Hair Is Poofy And That’s Okay. Nikkolas is the illustrator of the #1 NYT Bestselller The 1619 Project: Born on the Water,
I Am Ruby Bridges, Black Panther Wakanda Forever: The Courage To Dream, Captain America: A Hero Looks Like You, the award winning That Flag, and A Change is Gonna Come. His picture book The History of We, his first hand painted picture book is a 2026 Sibert Honor Book, the winner of the 2026 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award and it
was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. As a Black illustrator, Nikkolas is focused
on creating captivating art that can spark important conversations in today’s world and
inspire meaningful change towards social justice and equity. Many of his viral and
globally published sketches are included in his book Sunday Sketch: The Art of
Nikkolas. Known for his artistic depictions of marginalized voices, Nikkolas speaks and
leads workshops on artivism at conferences and schools around the world. His passion
for social justice into his unique portfolio of art, that spans from digital to acrylic, has
made him one of the most recognized talents of our time. Born in Houston, Texas,
Nikkolas lives in Los Angeles, California with his family.
Title Sponsor
Supporting Sponsors
