29 Feb Educating The Past, Informing Our Future: Mary Mcleod Bethune

“Invest in the human soul. Who knows, it might be a diamond in the rough.”

Mary Mcleod Bethune

We know we have the shortest month, but this year we were blessed with an extra day to celebrate our culture. Our final icon of Black History Month represents the other side of Salon Brazyl’s passion – education. We’re closing out our BHM highlight reel with Mary Mcleod Bethune, one of the founders of the HBCU staple Bethune-Cookman University.

Although not directly connected to the beauty industry itself, Bethune did collaborate with our previous BHM highlight, Marjorie Stewart Joyner. Her civil rights activism and dedication to the education of young, black minds will forever live on through her legacy. 

So, who was Mary Mcleod Bethune?

Born to former slaves in 1875, Bethune’s journey began much like that of other historical African-American figures. But she rose from her humble beginnings to become a world-class educator, an adviser to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt and four other U.S. presidents, and a powerful civil rights activist for blacks, women, and children.

At 10 years old, she began her education, learning to read and write and the Trinity Presbyterian Mission School – an experience which she said opened the world to her. She went on to graduate from Scotia Seminary – a boarding school in the Carolinas and furthered her studies at Dwight Moody’s Institute for Home and Foreign Missions in Chicago.

Unfortunately for her, no missionary positions were open at the time. But fortunately for the black men and women in America, she started her career as an educator and the trajectory of her life unfolded.

As an Educator

From her own experiences, Bethune knew that education provided the key to racial advancement. So, in 1904, she opened the Daytona Beach Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls. From 6 students at its inception, Bethune’s guidance and determination within the community led to more than 30 pupils within the first year.

It’s clear that Bethune had a way of networking with high society and used this skill to her advantage, gaining sponsorship from influential white men like James Gamble and John D. Rockefeller.

In 1923, the girls’ school merged with the Cookman Institute for Men in Jacksonville, Florida – officially becoming Bethune-Cookman College in 1931. Even in 2020, BCU is still the only historically black college and university founded by a woman.

The establishment of black colleges at this time provided a place for young African-American men and women to thrive. Here, they learned skills and formed connections to make life easier in a world that wanted them to fail.

As a National Leader

Bethune advocated for the black community fiercely, not only pushing for education but also voters’ rights, healthcare, and overall equality. She made waves through her involvement with national organizations and became the first black woman to hold a leadership position within a federal agency.

She held seats on and founded a number of groups and committees for black advancement:

National Association of Colored Women – Acting as president of the Florida chapter from 1917 to 1925, Bethune added momentum to the NACW. This association promoted the needs of black women and pushed to register black voters despite the resistance from white society. After acquiring property in D.C., it became the first black-led organization to have its headquarters in the nation’s capital.

National Council of Negro Women – Cofounded with Marjorie Joyner in 1935, the NCNW united 28 representatives from different organizations to improve the lives of black women and their communities. The council hosted the White House Conference on Negro Women and Children, highlighting the power of black women in these political roles.

National Youth Administration – Established during the FDR administration, the NYA offered programs to boost the employment rate of young people. Bethune’s fierce lobbying for the involvement of minority youth in this program earned her a full-time position as an assistant. Her continued efforts led to her appointment as the Director of the Division of Negro Affairs. In this position, she was able to help with the employment of 300,000 black men and women and even graduate the first black pilots.

Federal Council of Negro Affairs (Black Cabinet) – Comprised of leaders from black organizations, the Black Cabinet became an advisory board to the Roosevelt administration. They discussed problems facing black people in America and brainstormed solutions. Having so many African-Americans in high-level government positions provided hope to the black community that the president cared about their struggles.

This snapshot of Bethune’s legacy does not even begin to cover the impact she made. From establishing Mcleod Hospital as solace for blacks in Daytona to co-founding the United Negro College Fund to support higher education, she worked tirelessly to improve and normalize the lives of African-Americans.

It’s important to realize that Mary Mcleod Bethune wasn’t born into an environment that gave her a leg up in society. Instead, she saw a need and strived to meet it by connecting with the right people in the right way. Her involvement in national and local organizations led to focused campaigns and positive results for the people of our community. Had she waited for her vision to happen – like so many of us do – who knows where our community would be today?