Mary Jane McLeod Bethune, (born McLeod) (July 10, 1875 – May 18, 1955) American educator and civil rights leader best known for starting a private school for African-American students in Daytona Beach, Florida. She attracted donations of time and money, and developed the academic school as a college. It later continued to develop as Bethune-Cookman University. She also was appointed as a national adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. She was known as The First Lady of The Struggle” because of her commitment to bettering African Americans. Born in Mayesville, South Carolina, to parents who had been slaves, she started working in fields at age five. She took an early interest in getting educated; with the help of benefactors, Bethune attended college hoping to become a missionary in Africa. She started a school for African-American girls in Daytona Beach, Florida. It later merged with a private institute for African-American boys, and was known as the Bethune-Cookman School. Bethune maintained high standards and promoted the school with tourists and donors, to demonstrate what educated African Americans could do. She was president of the college from 1923 to 1942, and 1946 to 1947. She was one of the few women in the world to serve as a college president at that time. Bethune was also active in womens clubs, and became a national leader. After working on the presidential campaign for Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, she was invited as a member of his Black Cabinet. She advised him on concerns of black people and helped share Roosevelts message and achievements with blacks, who had historically been Republican voters since the Civil War. Upon her death, columnist Louis E. Martin said, She gave out faith and hope as if they were pills and she some sort of doctor. Honors include designation of her home in Daytona Beach as a National Historic Landmark, her house in Washington, D.C. has been designated as a National Historic Site, and a sculpture of her is located in Lincoln Park in Washington, D.C.
Posted on: Thu, 10 Jul 2014 02:42:33 +0000
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