Ruby Bridges being escorted out of William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, 1960. (Photo: Uncredited DOJ photographer, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain)

In November 1960, six-year-old Ruby Bridges became the first Black student to integrate William Frantz Elementary School in New Orleans, escorted by U.S. Marshals through a hostile crowd. Amidst widespread resistance, like white families pulling their children from school and all but one teacher refusing to teach, Mrs. Barbara Henry stood by her as the sole educator willing to teach her.

Bridges, now a civil rights icon, honors Henry in a new children’s book Ruby Bridges: A Talk with My Teacher, highlighting the deep bond they formed during that difficult year. “She’s like another mom to me,” Bridges said in an interview, “I would not have gotten through that if it had not been for my teacher. And, as you know, teachers really quit their jobs back then because they didn’t want to teach Black kids. This one teacher came from Boston to teach me.”

When Bridges returned for second grade, Henry was gone, making the year even harder for the young girl. The two didn’t reunite until 1995, but Bridges has never forgotten Henry’s kindness, calling her the most influential teacher in her life.

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

ARTICLE: Prominent Civil Rights Figure Ruby Bridges Publishes Love Letter to Her First-Grade Teacher