Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune: The Pride of Florida
Most of us know Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune as the founder of Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach. But did you know she was also a civil rights leader, the first black woman to head a federal agency, and a charter member of the United Nations? This remarkable woman dedicated her life to lifting people up, empowering them through education and fighting for social justice.
Dr. Bethune came from humble beginnings. The 15th of 17 children, she was born in 1875 to Samuel and Patsy McLeod in Mayesville, South Carolina. They were former slaves who managed to buy their own cotton farm. Young Mary was able to pick 200 pounds of cotton a day, but she had greater aspirations.
Even as a child, she knew that education was the key to empowerment, so she was determined to get an education. Her intelligence and determination were well known in her small town, and at age 11 she was offered a scholarship to a local Presbyterian school for black children. Mary walked five miles to school each day, and when she went home at night she taught her family everything she had learned that day.
Mary McLeod completed her studies at the prestigious Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, where she was the only black student. After graduation, she landed teaching jobs in South Carolina and later Georgia. There, she met and married Albertus Bethune in 1898. The following year, they had a son they named Albert, and the family moved to Palatka so she could run a mission school.
Racism was widespread in the South in the early 1900s, and black children had few opportunities to attend school.
"The drums of Africa still beat in my heart. They will not let me rest while there is a single Negro boy or girl without a chance to prove his worth."
When Mrs. Bethune heard that black students in Daytona Beach were in dire need of education, she answered the call. The family packed their bags and headed to Daytona Beach so she could found a mission school. With faith in God and $1.50 in savings, she founded the The Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute on Oct. 3, 1904, with five little girls and her son as pupils. After a few years, she and her husband went their separate ways, but they never divorced.
Mrs. Bethune did everything she could to keep her school running. She sold sweet potato pies and fresh eggs to keep the lights on and encouraged her girls to learn how to cook and maintain a farm, among many other skills. They even made their pencils from pieces of burnt wood. Mrs. Bethune used a barrel for a desk and scoured the local dump for school supplies.
Within a year, she was teaching 30 girls.
Initially, the students studied practical subjects like cooking, sewing, housekeeping, religion and academic topics. By 1916, Mrs. Bethune had added a high school curriculum with courses in nursing, teaching and business.
Mrs. Bethune was an educator at heart, but her interest went beyond the classroom to the social welfare of her students and other black residents. When she saw a need, she addressed it. When her students were not allowed into the local hospital, she founded a hospital for blacks. When she realized that blacks were not welcome on the local beaches, she and other investors established Bethune-Volusia Beach and welcomed all races.
After women received the right to vote in 1920, she and other black suffragettes launched registration drives for blacks.
"If we have the courage and tenacity of our forebears, who stood firmly like a rock against a lash of slavery, we shall find a way to do for our day what they did for theirs."
Ku Klux Klan intimidation was never far removed from Mary Bethune's life, her struggles and her efforts. One night in November 1920, while she worked late in her office, she noticed that all the street lights had gone out on Second Avenue. From the direction of Beach Street, she heard car horns and horse hooves, then she saw a procession of people masked in white sheets following a burning cross. At the time, her school was an all black girl school, with many of the students boarding on campus. The terrifying sight dredged up the images of the brutality and violence perpetuated against blacks since the times of slavery.
Brave Mary Bethune ordered the lights turned off on campus and all outdoor floodlights turned on. The Klan was left standing in a pool of light, and watched by the terrified students, as Mrs. Bethune rallied her girls to sing spirituals. The Klan soon dispersed and scattered into the night. That night was a turning point; the Klan failed to intimidate a 45-year-old black woman and a group of girls.
In 1923, her school merged with the Cookman Institute for Boys in Jacksonville, and it became Bethune-Cookman School with nearly 800 students.
Her impact in local politics was significant as she worked hard to make Daytona Beach a more inclusive community. She invited white people to join conversations on her campus. It was probably the only place in Daytona Beach where white and black people sat down together at that time.
In the mid-1920s, Mrs. Bethune started to make an impact on the national stage. Presidents Calvin Coolidge and Herbert Hoover appointed her to the National Child Welfare Commission. In the 1930s, she received honorary doctorates from eight colleges, including Rollins College in Winter Park. From that point, she would be known as Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune.
Her influence in Washington, D.C., continued to increase. President Franklin D. Roosevelt named her Director of his National Youth Administration, which was created in 1935 to reduce unemployment among young people. This established her as the first African American woman to lead a federal agency.
Dr. Bethune also served on FDR’s Black Cabinet, which advised him on issues affecting African Americans. She became close with First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, and they struck up a lifelong friendship. The First Lady stayed in her Daytona Beach home, causing quite a scandal.
“(Dr. Bethune) had a great deal of influence with the President, who had complete trust in whatever she told him.”
Dr. Bethune became an increasingly vocal advocate for social justice and equality. In 1935, she founded the National Council of Negro Women, which is still active today.
By the 1940s, Dr. Bethune had attracted national attention, was appearing on magazine covers and was walking with world leaders. She was spending so much time in the nation’s capital that she bought a second home there. (That house is now a national historic site.)
President Harry S Truman asked Dr. Bethune to serve as a delegate to the United Nations Conference and helped to draft its charter in 1945. She was the only woman in the delegation and is considered a charter member of the UN.
While in Switzerland for a UN conference, Dr. Bethune saw her first Black Velvet Rose and perceived it as a symbol of unity. When she returned to Bethune-Cookman University, she called her students her “black roses.”
Dr. Bethune retired as president of Bethune-Cookman University in 1947, and her students bid her an emotional farewell.
But she wasn’t done yet!
President Truman appointed Dr. Bethune to his Committee of 12 for National Defense in 1951.
Four years later, in 1955, Dr. Bethune had a heart attack and died on the back porch of her Daytona Beach home. The campus, along with national leaders, deeply mourned her death.
She was buried on the BCU campus, and today visitors can tour her home and gravesite and pay tribute to this majestic woman.
Today, Dr. Bethune’s school has grown into Bethune-Cookman University, a historically black college and one of the crown jewels of Volusia County.
More than 60 years after her death, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune continues to lead and inspire us to put aside our differences and help each other. These goals were paramount 100 years ago, and they’re even more important today. Dr. Bethune is truly a beacon of hope and an inspiration to all.
"I leave you love. I leave you hope. I leave you the challenge of developing confidence in one another. I leave you respect for the use of power. I leave you faith. I leave you racial dignity."
Her journey to National Statuary Hall
From the cotton fields of South Carolina to National Statuary Hall, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune has left a significant mark on history.
In 2018, the Florida Legislature approved a marble statue of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune to stand in National Statuary Hall, which is inside the U.S. Capitol Building.
Bethune-Cookman University appointed a statuary fund to secure and place the statue in our nation’s capital. Community leader Nancy Lohman spearheaded the local efforts, not the least of which was to raise more than $850,000 to secure and place the marble statue along with an additional bronze statue.
Nilda Comas, a master sculptor who works in Fort Lauderdale and Pietrasanta, Italy, was selected to create Dr. Bethune’s likeness. She selected marble from the same quarry Michelangelo used to create his famous statues of David and the Pieta.
On July 10, 2021, the marble statue was unveiled in Pietrasanta, Italy. Bethune-Cookman University and the City of Daytona Beach led a delegation of locals to take part in this historic moment.
The statue then made a transatlantic voyage to Daytona Beach, where it was displayed in The News-Journal Center for two months in late 2021. After a stirring opening ceremony on Oct. 11, 2021, thousands of locals stopped by to pay homage to this remarkable woman.
The marble statue is in Washington, D.C., awaiting its historic installation and introduction to the public in summer 2022. This statue, which is expected to be installed in summer 2022, will be the first statue of an African American representing one of the 50 states.
Bronze statue to be erected in Daytona Beach
After the marble statue is erected in Washington, D.C., a 6-foot tall bronze statue, also created by Nilda Comas, will be permanently erected in Daytona Beach’s Riverfront Esplanade Park. Dr. Bethune's statue will face west so she can gaze upon her beloved Bethune-Cookman University.