INDIANAPOLIS (MIRROR INDY) — On Nov. 4, the day before the presidential election, civil rights icon Ruby Bridges will speak at the Women’s Fund of Central Indiana’s annual fundraising event, the Power of Women, at the Indiana Roof Ballroom, 140 W. Washington St.

Tickets for the 5:30pm event go on sale July 9th and the event typically sells out quickly, starting at $250.

Tamara Winfrey-Harris, president of the Women’s Fund, calls Bridges a “phenomenal woman,” but Bridges is best known for her exploits as a girl. At age 6, she became the first black student to integrate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans. On November 14, 1960, she walked into school on her first day, escorted by federal marshals, surrounded by an angry white mob.

Bridges, now 69, is an author, speaker and founder of the Ruby Bridges Foundation, which teaches students about diversity and creating change.

She joins a list of impressive women the event has welcomed in previous years, including Olympic athlete Allyson Felix; Meghan, Duchess of Sussex; and Billie Jean King, the former world No. 1 tennis player. Each year, a moderator—usually a local—speaks with the guest.

This year’s moderator has not yet been chosen, but Winfrey Harris says they are looking for someone “who can be very thoughtful and challenging with their questions.”

“Maybe someone who has also experienced racism and has been touched by those things in their own life,” Winfrey Harris said. “Someone who shares experiences from that point in history and time, so they can have a great conversation together.”

Ruby Bridges is an icon of the civil rights movement and Winfrey Harris called her “living American history.”

Norman Rockwell immortalized Bridges’ walk to school that first day in his painting, “The Problem We All Live With.” Years later, President Obama hung the painting outside the Oval Office and invited Bridges to view it.

Winfrey Harris hopes the Women’s Fund event will take place the day before the general election and that hearing Bridges will remind her of what America can be.

“When you look back at the Civil Rights Movement, it’s a reminder of our collective power to create a community and a country that we’re proud of and that reflects our values,” she said. “It’s important that we use our power to make sure that we live in the world that we want.”

How to attend the event:

• What: Power of Women: An Evening with Ruby Bridges
• When: 5:30pm Monday, November 4
• Where: Indiana Roof Ballroom, 140 W. Washington St.
• How much: $250
• Buy your tickets here.