Celebrating the Life of Mary McLeod Bethune

 

Celebrating the Life of Mary McLeod Bethune

The historic unveiling of Civil Rights’ activist, educator, and presidential advisor, Mary McLeod Bethune in statue in the Capitol's National Statuary Hall is truly momentous. Of the one hundred statues in residence, this latest addition means that nine are now of women and Bethune is the first African American memorialized in statue in the hall. The state of Florida commissioned and presented it, replacing the statue of Confederate General Edmund Kirby Smith, on July 13, 2022. Carved by Nilda Comas, this imposing replica of white marble is the first statue sculpted by an artist of Puerto Rican descent. Replete with symbolism paying homage to Dr. McLeod Bethune’s lifelong work championing rights for people of color through educational opportunities, she is depicted at 70 years old and wearing academic garb. A pile of books stacked behind her reference her last will and testament leaving: love, a thirst for education, faith, racial dignity, hope, peace, and courage. A park near Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach will eventually have a bronze replica from one of the models Comas produced for the marble statue.[1]

For those who are not familiar with Bethune, she was a daughter of formerly enslaved people,  and her contribution to our nation is a truly remarkable legacy. In an interview about her life Bethune recalls her first encounter with racial trauma.  She called it her first real wound.  She recalls, “I think possibly the first and real wound I could feel in my soul and my mind was the realization of the dense darkness and ignorance I found in myself  – when I did find myself with the seeming absence of a remedy.  What I mean by that was the recognition of the lack of opportunity.  I could see little white boys and girls going to school ever day, learning to read and write...I found myself often yearning all along for the things that were being provided for white children.” [2]
 
This only provided her with a driving motivation to learn to read.  The opportunity presented itself to her in the form of a mission teacher that had come from Maysville, South Carolina.  She told her parents of a Presbyterian church that had set up a mission school for Black children to enroll.[3]  Bethune exhibited a spirit of generosity as a child and she often gave away her things to those in need.  This continued with the lessons that she received at the school.  She recounts how she would give other children whatever she had learned that week, whether it was poetry, readings, or songs.  “I would give to them as I got.”[4]  When asked about what the majority of the white community thought about the school, she replied, “they thought it was folly, that we do not need an education and that our part was to do chores on the farm.[5]
 
Bethune made a profession of faith and joined the Presbyterian Church. She attended Scotia Seminary and then the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago.[6]  After she graduated, Bethune tells about meeting a pastor from the Presbyterian Church in Palatka Florida. She told him of her desire to start a school in connection with the church. In Palatka she started this community school while working in jails and at the town sawmills.  She stayed there for five years before setting out to the town of Daytona Beach to set up another school. She tells of one of the dreams she had.  She was standing on the bank of the St. John's River and had to cross that river but could not find a way to get across.  As she pondered she turned around and saw a great army of young people, all coming towards her.  Someone then gave her a book and said to her, “before you cross that river, you must take this book and register the names of all those young people that you see there in the distance.”  A friend later interpreted her dream this way, “this means that you are to build a great work for young people and that many years will be spared you yet to lead them on.[7]

Starting her school presented many challenges including feeding the children under her care.  She tells of a certain day when they needed food, that morning in their assembly she prayed and asked God to supply their need.  She explains, “he knew what we needed and you know before we got through singing our last hymn, a man drove up in his wagon with a load full of vegetables and potatoes and food stuff that a friend had sent over.”  One of the little girls added, “Mrs. Bethune prayed for food and here is a man with a wagon full.”  “That is the kind of faith that sustained the school.”[8]
 
Bethune was also very active in voting rights.  In 1920, she used her school as a place to energize and organize the community to vote.  She held night classes to help people pass literacy tests required for voting.  Before the vote took place, the KKK had orchestrated a power outage at the school and confronted Bethune.  While they surrounded the school, 150 black students came out and sung, “be not dismayed what e'er the tide, God will take care of you.”  Undeterred, the next day, Bethune arrived at the polls and encouraged voters in line in what would be a record turn out for African American woman.[9]
 
In the interview about her life, Bethune went on the record saying, “I thank God for the Presbyterian church and from whom so many little county schools were begun.” [10]  When we see her statue, we should not only reflect on her singular extraordinary life but also of the role that the Presbyterian church played, as just one of the many influences in advancing human rights.  The call to advance the rights of those discriminated against in our society is still a pressing need, may we draw inspiration from her story to continue the work God has called us to.

[1]Nyamekye Daniel, “Pivotal Moment: Statue of Mary McLeod Bethune Is the First Black Figure in U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall State Collection” Atlanta Black Star. July 16,

[2]Interview with Mary McLeod Bethune 1940; Florida Memory; State Library and Archives of Florida.  https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/333794   p3

[3]Ibid., p5

[4]Ibid.,p11

[5] Ibid.,p14

[6] https://www.biola.edu/talbot/ce20/database/mary-mcleod-bethune

[7] Ibid.,p30

[8] Ibid.,p30

[9] Ashley N Robertson, “Mary McLeod Bethune in Florida: Bringing Social Justice to the Sunshine State. History Press.  P38. 

[10] Interview with Mary McLeod Bethune 1940; Florida Memory; State Library and Archives of Florida.  https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/333794   p14

Sources

Nyamekye Daniel, “Pivotal Moment: Statue of Mary McLeod Bethune Is the First Black Figure in U.S. Capitol's National Statuary Hall State Collection” Atlanta Black Star. July 16, 2022. 

https://atlantablackstar.com/2022/07/16/pivotal-moment-statue-of-mary-mcleod-bethune-is-the-first-black-figure-in-u-s-capitols-national-statuary-hall-state-collection/
 
Interview with Mary McLeod Bethune 1940; Florida Memory; State Library and Archives of Florida.  

https://www.floridamemory.com/items/show/333794 
 
Ashley N Robertson, “Mary McLeod Bethune in Florida: Bringing Social Justice to the Sunshine State. History Press.