1875-1955
Educator

"There is no such thing as a Negro Education….only education. I want my people to prepare themselves bravely for life, not because they are Negroes, but because they are men."

Mary McLeod Bethune, daughter of former slaves, rose to become a presidential advisor and one of the most revered and influential Black leaders of her day. At the beginning of the 20th Century, during the Great Depression and beyond, Bethune not only dreamed, she worked tirelessly for a better world for all Americans. Yet today, few recognize her name or are aware of her unparalleled contribution to the advancement of freedom and equality here in the United States and throughout the world.

When she was born her father gazed at her and said to his wife, "She's different, Patsy." Her mother held her close and said, "I asked the Master to send us a child who would show us the way out. Of course, I expected He would bless us with a boy. But His will be done." Born July 10, 1875, Mary Jane McLeod was the first of their children to be born into freedom. Her grandmother said that 'she would be able to see things before they happened" because she was born with her eyes open. Faced with what seemed to be insurmountable problems: mass illiteracy, segregation, discrimination, mob violence, lynching, high unemployment and poverty, Mary McLeod Bethune looked into the future and was not afraid to move boldly into the 20th century.