(In honor of Black History Month)
(Mary McLeod Bethune)
Mary turned over in her bed for the umpteenth time seeking a restful position, even though she knew discomfort was not the cause of her sleeplessness–excitement was. Tomorrow morning, October 4, 1904, she would stand in front of her first class of children in her own school: The Daytona Literary and Industrial School for Negro Girls.
Mary smiled, remembering the miracle of learning to read for herself when she was a girl of ten—miraculous because: 1) the provision of education for African-American children was rare in 1885, and 2) out of the seventeen children in her family, she was the one chosen to attend.
(Cabin where Mary was born, the fifteenth child out of seventeen)
The school was five miles from home, and she had to endure harassment and assault from white children on her daily treks. But Mary knew: this opportunity meant God had purpose for her life.
In 1886 a Quaker missionary financed the continuation of her education at Scotia Seminary in North Carolina.
Seven years later she entered Moody Bible Institute in Chicago as the only African-American among hundreds of white students. Instead of harassment and assault, however, Mary encountered acceptance, proving that “blacks and whites could live and work together with equality” (1).
While at Moody, Mary sensed God leading her to Africa as a missionary. But when it came time to apply, her denomination’s mission board denied her request because she was black.
The disappointment was deeply painful, but Mary soon turned her attention to those of African descent in America, and became a teacher—first in Augusta, Georgia and then in Sumter, South Carolina. She worked tirelessly, not only for her students but also for the surrounding black communities.
Thank you, Lord, for those nine years of teaching experience, Mary prayed. You prepared me well to found this new school.
Granted, there would only be five little girls greeting her in the morning, but it was a beginning. And Mary was confident God would make her school grow.
She chuckled to herself. Of course, Lord, you left an awful lot of work for ME to do!
First she found a community in need of a school: Daytona Beach, Florida. Numerous African-American families were moving there, in order to be employed by the newly formed Florida East Coast Railroad.
(Workers on the East Coast Railway Extension, 1906)
Next Mary found a run-down cottage to rent for eleven dollars per month. She convinced the owner to accept $1.50 as a down payment.
To supply her school with furniture and other necessities, Mary foraged at the city dump and behind hotels for anything useful. Old peach crates became student desks and chairs, an old barrel became her teacher’s desk.
She retrieved discarded linens, kitchen ware, and cracked dishes for the homemaking and skilled trades she would teach. Everything was scoured, mended and repurposed. Even charred wood had value as substitute pencils.
To cover expenses, Mary sold sweet potato pies and fried fish to wealthy tourists. She canvassed neighborhoods, spoke to church groups and clubs, and distributed leaflets.
Now, opening day was hours away. And as she finally drifted off to sleep Mary wondered, What might the future hold?
If God had told her, even Mary’s strong faith would have been stretched.
That tiny handful of students in 1904 would grow to almost 250 by 1906, requiring more teachers, an advisory board, and a bigger facility. Among the influential men (black and white) on the board was James M. Gamble of the Proctor and Gamble Company.
(Mary and her students, ca. 1905)
In 1923 her school would merge with the Cookman Institute, a co-educational school for African-American students in Jacksonville, Florida. Mary was chosen as the first president. Later the Bethune-Cookman Institute became a college and then a university. (Today, nearly 4,000 students attend the school.)
(Faith Hall, built in 1907 to accommodate Mary’s growing school;
now part of Bethune-Cookman University)
In 1935 Mary helped organize the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) “to connect African-American women across the country and establish a national voice for them” (2). Mary served as the first president.
A White House Conference of the NCNW met in Washington, DC in 1938. Then president, Franklin D. Roosevelt, offered her the position of Director of the Division of Negro Affairs of the National Youth Administration.
Mary met one-on-one with President Roosevelt several times a year and became good friends with Eleanor.
(Eleanor in the middle; Mary to her right)
Her participation on various government committees actually spanned the terms of four presidents, from Calvin Coolidge to Harry S. Truman.
(Mary’s home in Washington, DC)
Mary often said:
The impossible events of Mary’s life offer ample proof.
(Mary McLeod Bethune, 1875-1955)
Notes:
(1) http://www.talbot.edu/ce20/educators/protestant/mary_bethune
Sources:
http://www.talbot.edu/ce20/educators/protestant/mary_bethune
http://www.wciujournal.org/journal/article/mary-mcleod-bethune-an-agent-of-change-and-leadership
Photo credits: http://www.flickr.com; http://www.wikimedia.org (2); http://www.flickr.com; http://www.wikimedia.org (2); http://www.nationalparkservice.org; http://www.wikimedia.org, http://www.canva.com
