Screaming protestors surrounded the building as federal marshals escorted a brave six-year-old girl on her way to making history. In first grade.

It was November of 1960 when Ruby Bridges became the first black student to integrate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans.

After many white parents chose to withdraw their children from school, the principal kept everyone else far away from her. In fact, Ruby ended up being the only pupil in her class during the entire first year.

The circumstances might have been impossible to bear if not for her teacher, Barbara Henry. The woman’s kindness made such a difference that Ruby has stayed in touch with her for more than six decades—and she just published a public tribute.

A love letter of sorts, the children’s book is entitled Ruby Bridges: A Talk With My Teacher. It explores the tremendous impact that Ms. Henry made in just one year—and also shares the story of the pair’s reunion several years later.

“We often say, both of us,” Bridges told the TODAY show, “…that despite all the hate that was going on outside, inside that room it was filled with love.”

Ms. Henry, a Boston native, made a commitment to Ruby even though other teachers were resigning from their jobs in protest—or flat-out refusing to work with a black child.

She brought positivity into that first grade classroom, even as protestors raged outside.

“I would not have gotten through that if it had not been for my teacher,” Bridges recalled in the TODAY video (below).

“She filled my day with things to do. She made school fun. I enjoyed learning. Even though the crowd was outside yelling, she would go and close the window, and she’d say, ‘We’re going to have music today,’ just to drown out everything.”

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Second grade became much worse because Ms. Henry was no longer her teacher. Yet, Bridges persevered.

Ruby eventually graduated, worked as a travel agent, and had four kids of her own. She started the Ruby Bridges Foundation, which promotes “the values of tolerance, respect, and appreciation of all differences.”

She’s now 70 and still doing her best to make the world a better place.

But no matter how long she lives, she’ll never forget the kindness displayed by her first grade teacher. The lady who was a constant source of love and compassion while the world wailed outside.

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“I think that each and every one of us, we probably remember one teacher that made an impact in our lives,” Bridges told TODAY. “And she was the one for me.”

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