Mary Jane McLeod Bethune
Personal Information
Born: 1875
Died: 1955
Country of Birth: USA
Nationality: USA
Ethnicity: Black
Education
Scotia Seminary (now Barber-Scotia College 1893; Moody Bible College in Chicago 1895
Professional Life
Field of Study: Social Justice, Education
Institution/Corporation: Bethune-Cookman University
Degrees & Memberships: Honorary Degrees: Rollins College (1949)South Carolina State College (1910) Wilberforce University (1915) Lincoln University Pennsylvania (1935) Bennett College (1936) Tuskegee Institute (1937)Howard University (1942) Atlanta University (1943) Wiley College (1943) West Virginia State College (1947) Benedict College (1950); Member: Honorary Member Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc (1923) National Association of Colored Women's Clubs; NAACP; NCNW; American Women's Voluntary Services; National Association of Colored Women (NACW); Southeastern Federation of Colored Women's Clubs; National Urban League; Association for the Study of African-American Life & History, Inc (ASALH); Florida State Teachers Organization; American Teachers Association; International Longfellow Society; National Council of Women of the USA; League of Women Voters; Cuban Society of Letters; Daughters of Elks; Iota Phi Lambda Sorority; Lambda Kappa Mu Sorority
Awards & Achievements
Awards: 1949 named the First Lady of Negro America, Ebony Magazine; 1930 named #10 on Ida Tarbell's America's Greatest Women list; 1935 Springarn Medal, NAACP; 1949 National Order of Honor & Merit, Haiti (1st female recipient); 1973 National Women's Hall of Fame; 1989named 1 of 50 Most Important Figures in Black American History, Ebony Magazine; 1999 included in 100 Most Fascinating Black Women of the 20th Century, Ebony Magazine; 1937 Frances A. Drexel Award, Xavier University; 1941 First Annual Youth's City Award, Daytona Beach; 1942 Thomas Jefferson Award, SCHW;1952 Star of Africa, Liberia; 1954 Dorie Miller Award
Achievements: Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) in 1935, established the organization's flagship journal Aframerican Women's Journal (later Women United) and presided as president or leader for a myriad of African American women's organizations including the National Association for Colored Women and the National Youth Administration's Negro Division; was appointed as a national advisor to president Franklin D. Roosevelt, whom she worked with to create the Federal Council on Colored Affairs, also known as the Black Cabinet (1936)led many voter registration drives for women; 1937 organized a conference on Problems of the Negro & Negro Youth & fought to end discimination & lynchings; 1940 was vice president of the NAACP; was a member of the advisory board that integrated the Women's Auxilliary Army Corps in 1942 & ensured it was racially integrated; was responsible for integrating the Civilian Pilot Training Program & the American Red Cross; had weekly columns in the Chicago Defender & the Pittsburgh Courier
nicknamed "The First Lady of the Struggle" due to her commitment to gain better lives for African-Americans
was co-owner of a 2-mile stretch of beach in Daytona called Bethune-Volusia Beach Inc or Paradise Beach that allowed African-Americans access to the beach & 25% of Welricha Motel
called her students "Black Roses" & the 2022 statue of her in the National Statuary Hall Collection in the US Capitol depicts her holding a black rose
in her will she outlined her philosophy which empathized "the importance of love, hope, education, racial dignity, & support for future generations"
was appointed by President Truman to attend the founding conference of the UN in 1945 & was the only woman of color there
was 15th of the 17th children born to her parents who were former slaves
was the only person in her family who attended school & taught the others what she learned
her son Albert was the only male attending her school in Daytona
is the 1st Black woman to have a national monument dedicated to her in the nation's capital-the statue was erected in Lincoln Park in DC in 1974
she worked in the cotton fields of her family with all other family members when she was 5, by the time she was 9 she could pick 250 pounds of cotton a day
her initial goal after college was to do missionary work in Africa but she couldn't find a church willing to sponsor her so she became a teacher instead
was close friends with Eleanor Roosevelt
appeared on a US postage stamp in 1985
her final resting place & home in DC are designated National Heritage Sites
was known in the Black press as the "Female Booker T. Washington"
was President of Bethune-Cookman college 1923-42 & 1946-47
her home in Daytona Beach is a National Historic Landmark
as a child she decided the only difference between Black & white children was the ability to read & write & this inspired her to learn
walked 5 miles daily to walk to school in a 1-room Black schoolhouse (Trinity Mission School)
made the library at Bethune-Cookman available to all Black Floridians & it was the 1st free library available to them
during her years of working to get Black women to register to vote she was threatened by the KKK
carried a cane for effect not support & said it gave her "swank"
in 1991 the International Astronomical Union named a crater on Venus after her
over 20 schools, streets, a scholarship program, & parks are named after her
she collected photographs for a gallery of outstanding men & women, walking canes of famous men, & miniature elephants
the Library of Congress has a collection of videos, radio programs, & interviews of her