Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and Her Contributions to Society

Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune’s Birthplace- Mayesville, SC

In honor of Black History Month, I want to reflect on a very special woman. Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune was born July 10, 1875 in Mayesville SC. This is my hometown! Okay, so Mayesville is small and rural. Today if you were visting you’ll see huge fields filled with cotton and corn, particularly in the Summer. You might even see some cows roaming the fields too. My grandparents would talk about how the town was bustling and just the place to be back in the day. People from all over would come via train as the train station was right in the middle of town. There was also a car dealership, grocery store, and pharmacy so I was told.

However, today none of that exists. The elementary school where my initial learning experience began is not even open. It’s where I first learned about Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune. Although the school is not operational, I’ve held two educational events there. Most recently was my SMART Girls Academy.

It took some time, but within the past twenty years or so, the community has been honoring Dr. Bethune. In 2008, a nature trail was created and named in Dr. Bethune’s honor where the railroad previously existed. Along the trail are some highlights of Dr. Bethune’s life. The Mayesville community and surrounding areas participate in an annual parade to celebrate Dr. Bethune’s life. One year Bethune-Cookman University’s band participated. Above all, in Mayesville there is a Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Park. The nine acre site includes a replica of the cabin she was born in, an outdoor pavilion, and picnic area.

Education

Dr. Bethune’s education began in Mayesville. Taught by Emma Wilson, who also served as a mentor, helped her with a scholarship to attend Barber-Scotia College in Concord, NC. Side note, that’s my mother-in-law’s alma mater. After graduating Barber-Scotia College in 1893, she continued furthering her education graduating from Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, IL.

Early Career

Dr. Bethune taught school in Sumter, SC. It’s about a 10-15 minute drive from Mayesville. Her teaching career also extended to Augusta, GA at the Haines Normal and Industrial Institute established by Lucy Craft Laney. This school was the first school for Black children in Augusta. I actually visited the home of Mrs. Laney on a church trip with my Aunt Barbara. That was in the early 2000s. While teaching in Sumter, she met Albertus Bethune. She left SC after marrying Albertus Bethune in 1898. They moved to Florida.

Initially she established the Daytona Normal and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls in 1904. The school was created with the limited resources she had and $1.50. I like to say a dollar and a dream. Her students used berries for ink, so they could write. Dr. Bethune also sold pies to support funding for the school. She attributed her biggest resource to be faith. Throughout the years she formed relationships with wealthy individuals to supply income for her school. She and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt became good friends as well.

In 1923 her school for girls merged with Cookman College (school for boys) to become Bethune-Cookman College in Daytona Beach, Florida where she served as president. The school is currently Bethune-Cookman University. Bethune’s motto was, “Enter to learn; depart to serve.”

BCU Experience

While visiting the Bethune Cookman University campus and the home of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune, I started gaining a better understanding of how influential she was. I learned things that I never knew before. I’m certain my friends and family probably didn’t know either. Above all, serving, educating, and fighting for equality was Dr. Bethune’s passion. Her home was under reconstruction as my sister and I were touring back in Spring 2011. Some pictures I took are below. At the time I even had an idea of bringing some youth from Mayesville to the site. I still may.

In conclusion, after leaving the campus I became empowered. I felt super proud to be from little old Mayesville, SC. Dr. Bethune and I share the same values. It’s like I’m inadvertently walking in her footsteps. The work that I’m doing may not be on Dr. Bethune’s magnitude, but I hope it will change lives as she has.

Facts That You May Not Know About Dr. Bethune

• In 1911, she opened a hospital on her school grounds. It was the first Black hospital in Daytona Beach, FL. This was because the needs of her student were neglected at a nearby Whites only hospital although the staff agreed to admit her.
• 1936 Became Director of the Division of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration (NYA). In this role she improved the employment and training of Black youth and helped Blacks get better salaries.
• 1939 Secured $500,000 to construct Pine Haven Housing Project, to provide homes for Blacks. Click here for more info
• 1955 Established the National Council of Negro Women to fight for women’s rights and civil rights. Its headquarters was in Washington, D.C. Now it is known as the Mary McLeod Bethune Council House National Historic Site.
• Member of Delta Sigma Theta (When I learned that, I declared myself an honorary Delta).
• Advisor to four US Presidents. Served on National Commission on Child Welfare and Commission on Home Building and Ownership.
• Member of the National Association of Colored Women. Worked to register Black voters and improve opportunities for Black women.
• Co-founder of the UNCF (United Negro College Fund). Remember there used to be an annual telethon for the UNCF hosted by Lou Rawls to raise money for HBCUs. (Historically Black Colleges and Universities)
• First female president at HBCU.

Honors

• 1949 Cover of Ebony Magazine.
• Her home in Daytona Beach, FL is a National Historic Landmark.
• 1974 Has statue in Lincoln Park, Washington D.C. First Black and the first woman to have a statue in Washington D.C.
• 1985 US Postal stamp created in her honor.
• 1999 Ebony Magazine named her as one of “100 Most Fascinating Black Women of the 20th Century.”
• 2013 South Carolina has personalized Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune motor vehicle license plates.
• 2014 Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune Learning Center opened in Mayesville, SC.