The central character, a young African American girl, dressed in white (socks, skirt, shoes) is going to school. She is holding a school book, pens, a ruler. She is walking decisively, with her head up, past a wall stained with tomato and a racist graffiti ‘niggers’ and a reference to the kkk. She is flanked by 4 white federal marshals, who are wearing grey or brown uniforms with a yellow armband saying ‘ deputy US marshal’. The girl is rather small whereas the men look proportionally like giants. She is protected by the police because angry people , who are opposed to school integration, don”t want her to enter school.

The red of tomato draws our attentions and first suggests blood.

The inscription help us understand how Ruby may have felt as she entered the school guarded by the marshals.

The painter wants to dramatize the situation.

This is a commited painting.

NR wanted to show/ emphasize the stupidity and unfairness of racism.