Mary McLeod Bethune was an American educator and civil rights leader known for starting a school in Daytona Beach, Florida for African American students that years later turned into Bethune – Cookman University. While Mary McLeod Bethune was an educator she also taught her students education in life. She taught her students the necessary skills and gave them confidence that they would need in order to be successful in all aspects in life. While being and educator and civil rights leader Mary was an advisor for President Franklin Roosevelt.
Mary McLeod Bethune was born on July 10, 1875 in Maysville, South Carolina. She was the last of seventeen kids to parents who was former slaves. From an early age she worked in fields with her family. Her parents wanted to be independent so they worked hard to save up to buy their own farm for the family. Due to one personal experience it changed Mary way of thinking she thought the difference between white and colored folks was the ability to read and write. After showing her eminese thirst to read and write she attended Maysville one room schoolhouse.
She was the only child out of her 17 siblings to attend school. Every day she walked 8 miles to and from school. Growing up she looked up to her teacher Emma Jane Wilson as her mentor for life. After some years teaching at Maysville one room school house she decided to teach elsewhere Scotia Seminary so she made a way for Mary to attend that school on a full scholarship. After Mary attending Dwight L Moody Institute for Home and Foreign Mission in Chicago with the goal to become a missionary in Africa. Though that was the plan Mary was working towards it didn’t go as expected. They told Mary at the time they was not looking for any black missionaries at the time so instead Mary took up teaching.
Mary first job as a teacher was teaching at Sumter Country for some time only to relocate and teach at Haines Normal and Industrial Institute in Atlanta Georgia. The school was founded by a former slave named Lucy Craft Laney who was deeply impressed by Mary. Mary was influenced by Lucy and decided to adopt most of her education philosophies to help improve the status of black people especially women of that time. From this experience Mary transferred to Kindell Institute in Sumter South Carolina .In 1904 she rented out a house to start a Literary and Industrial Training School for Negros Girls in Daytona , she had a total of 6 students. The classes she offered with this school was based off Christian life. Having students wake up at 5:30 for bible study and other classes such as home economics , and other industrial skills like dressmaking , cooking and craft that would be beneficial to be able to survive day to day.
The National Association of Colored Women was formed in 1896 to promote needs for black women. Mary served as president 6 years in off with the mission to get as many black voters which stirred up problems with the KKK. She also served as the president of the Southeastern Federation of Colored Woman Clubs to help black women get better opportunities. In 1936 Mary became the assistant for the National Youth Administration while working there within 2 years she was appointed Director of Negro Affairs. while holding this position she convince top executives to approve programs for blacks and crippled children and planned for compile of studies pertaining to black workers education council .
Mary McLeod Bethune died due to a heart attack on May 18, 1955. Behind she leaves her legacy, her honor, achievements, university, numerous schools in her name and her lifelong lessons she taught black kids of self suffiency as well as bring together blacks and white folks together in Daytona Beach.
