THE FIRST LADY OF EDUCATION
Mary McLeod Bethune

The first child in the McLeod family was also the first in that family to earn a college education. This young African American woman knew what she wanted and what it would take to accomplish that goal. This child, Mary McLeod was not born into slavery but was the first of the family to be born in freedom 

Ms. Bethune would make the best of her thirst for education and would continue to give this gift to others in her life. First she would give the gift to her family, then she would give the gift to her Christian brothers and sisters, and then she would give the gift of education to many African American women. 

Samuel and Patsy McLeod, Mary’s parents were slaves until the end of the Civil War. They then became sharecroppers in Mayesville, South Carolina. They never seemed to get out of debt and Ms. Bethune wanted to help her parents and her siblings with the gift of knowledge. Her insatiable desire to learn and to make the world a better place impelled her to walk for miles to missionary school

Her childhood goal was to become a Missionary, but she became the teacher for the McLeod family and the world instead. Ms. Bethune had a very difficult time finding a school to attend because many schools at that time did not accept African American children. She investigated her options in the mornings and worked many hours in the cotton fields with her 17 siblings in the afternoons. 

Her first big break came when a Missionary school in North Carolina granted her enrollment. They provided a private scholarship, but it was for teaching instead of Missionary work. She did not care just as long as she could just get her hands on books. This school gave her the skills to teach any grade but she still wanted to be a Missionary. 

Ms. McLeod was often insulted because of her dark skin. She was also teased because she was a large woman. She just took it all in stride and kept her eyes on the prize.

No-matter how much she pursued becoming a missionary her life’s karma kept pushing her towards education. She was given an offer to be on the teaching staff in Georgia. This gifted woman would make history leaving Georgia and moving to Florida with $ 1.50, her wonderful son and the desire to teach African American children. Most of her goals were accomplished in 1923. She built a small school in a Daytona, Florida landfill. She founded Daytona Normal and Industrial Institute for Girls (now Bethune-Cookman College).  This school was the first college for African American Women; Ms Bethune and five other young women learned how to be effective farmers. This gave them the opportunity to study food, medicine, and history.  This five-room school is now a historical marker for many African American Women, liberating many African American women even today. 

She was the first African American woman to gain the ear of an American President. She was also privileged to gain an audience with three more presidents in her lifetime.

President Franklin D. Roosevelt summoned her to the White House many times to discuss the national problems that African Americans were having living in this great nation. She was appointed Director of Negro Affairs-National Youth Administration. Mrs. Bethune not only founded but also became the President of the National Council of Negro Women from 1935-1949. She worked many years with the southern wing of the NAACP and became an effective Vice President, stressing the political and social needs of African American women. 

Ms. Bethune retired in the early 1950’s, but she continued to teach. She converted her home into a National Negro Historical site. Her home now stands in the middle of Bethune-Cookman College campus.

Compiled by
G.N. Gray
[3/12/05]

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