Ruby Bridges, Jeanne White-Ginder talk hope, impact on Power of Children panel 

The Children’s Museum opened its doors for adults to explore their childlike wonder during its Second Century Soiree. 

The soiree served as both a fundraising event and a celebration of the museum’s next 100 years, allowing adult guests to explore all the museum’s exhibitions uninhibitedly on Aug. 22. The event also featured educational and entertaining activities throughout the building’s four levels — including a live string band, a fashion show, Ferris wheel rides, a guest talk with an astronaut and the Power of Children panel. 

The panel highlighted voices representing the stories showcased in the Power of Children: Making a Difference exhibit, which first opened in 2007 and aims to empower young people through the stories of children who “maintained bravery, dignity, and pride in the face of fear, prejudice, and discrimination” — including Ruby Bridges, Ryan White, Anne Frank and Malala Yousafzai. 

“Everybody has a voice to stop the hate in the world, and for everybody can make a difference,” said Andrea White, Ryan White’s sister. “Doesn’t have to be Ryan White or Ruby Bridges or Anne Frank or Malala (Yousafzai) … Everybody can make a difference.” 

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White, an HIV/AIDS activist, sat alongside her mother Jeanne White-Ginder on the panel with Doyle Stevick, executive director of the Anne Frank Center, and Bridges herself.  Chris Gahl, EVP and CMO of Visit Indy, moderated the panel.

Yousafzai was not in attendance, but her father Ziauddin Yousafzai recorded a video message for guests expressing his gratitude to the Children’s Museum for the work it is doing through the exhibition.  

One unique thing that links everyone’s stories together is the letters, Stevick said. Ryan White, Anne Frank, Malala Yousafzai and Bridges all faced fear and prejudice, but they also received thousands of letters from children all over the world, who were inspired by their stories. 

“That’s who generally wrote Ryan — was kids,” White-Ginder said. “It was kids who were with handicaps, kids who had disabilities of their own, and they had been discriminated against. So those were kids that loved to have Ryan being a voice for them, too.” 

In her book, Yousafzai writes about how many letters she received from children all over the world, and Otto Frank answered “tens of thousands of letters” from children all over the world as well, Stevick added. 

Bridges received an abundance of letters and gifts from children and adults as well, including Eleanor Roosevelt. Her second book, “Dear Ruby, Hear our Hearts,” includes 12 letters that really touched her as well as her responses, she said. 

“Children are our biggest supporters, because they see us as their heroes,” Bridges said. “We’re standing up for them.” 

However, when it comes to their hopes for the future and the exhibition, Bridges said she hopes kids understand that racism “really has no place in their hearts and minds.”  

“Let me just say what Ryan would say, ‘Discrimination, fear and panic gets us nowhere,’” White-Ginder added. “That’s why we have to continue to try to educate these people on this.” 

Stevick said that all children are familiar with the negative power of peer pressure, but similar to the Children’s Museum, it’s their mission to help them recognize the other side of that power — “that young people have the potential to bring out the best in one another.” 

“Children look at a world gone mad, and they can say, ‘We can do better,’” Stevick said. “We can imagine better. We can teach these old people who gave us this mess that it doesn’t have to be this way.” 

The Power of Children: Making a Difference exhibit is open during regular museum hours. For more information, visit childrensmuseum.org.  

Contact Arts & Culture Reporter Chloe McGowan at 317-762-7848. Follow her on X @chloe_mcgowanxx.