Early Life

Mary McLeod Bethune was born on July 10, 1875, in Mayesville, South Carolina. She was the 15th of 17 children in a family of former slaves. Even though her family was poor, they valued education. Mary walked several miles each day to attend a one-room school, where she quickly learned to read and write. Education became her passion, and she believed it could change lives.

Education and Career

Mary attended Scotia Seminary in North Carolina and then Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. She dreamed of becoming a missionary in Africa, but that dream didn’t come true. Instead, she became an educator in the United States. In 1904, she started the Daytona Educational and Industrial School for Negro Girls in Florida. The school began with only five students and little money, but it grew into Bethune-Cookman University.

Leadership and Activism

Bethune worked hard to improve the lives of African Americans, especially women and children. She founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935 to fight for equality and opportunities. She believed in the power of women to lead and make change. Her leadership gained national attention, and she became a trusted advisor to President Franklin D. Roosevelt.

Government Service and Legacy

During the 1930s and 1940s, Mary served as an advisor in the Roosevelt administration. She worked on programs to help African Americans during the Great Depression and supported civil rights. People called her “The First Lady of the Struggle” because of her fight for justice and education. Mary McLeod Bethune died on May 18, 1955, but her legacy lives on in schools, programs, and organizations named after her.

Discussion Questions

1. Why was education so important to Mary McLeod Bethune?
2. How did Bethune’s childhood influence her work later in life?
3. What challenges do you think Bethune faced as an African American woman leader in the early 1900s?
4. How did Bethune’s work make life better for African Americans and women?

Glossary

• Advisor – A person who gives advice or guidance.
• Equality – Being treated the same as others.
• Industrial School – A school that teaches job and work skills.
• Legacy – Something left behind by a person to be remembered.
• Seminary – A school for religious training.

Interesting Facts

• She was the only African American woman to help plan Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal programs.
• Mary started her school with only $1.50 and used crates for desks.
• She was the first African American woman to head a federal agency.
• A statue of Mary McLeod Bethune stands in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall.
• She wrote a “Last Will and Testament” filled with advice, not money, for future generations.

Timeline

• 1875: Born in Mayesville, South Carolina.
• 1894: Graduated from Scotia Seminary.
• 1904: Founded Daytona Educational and Industrial School for Negro Girls.
• 1935: Founded the National Council of Negro Women.
• 1940s: Served as advisor to President Roosevelt.
• 1955: Died in Daytona Beach, Florida.