1900s
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune (1875-1955)
Known as the First Lady of Negro America, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune was a mover and shaker working behind the scenes as well as being front and center to speak out on behalf of her people. She had the ear of First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt and was part of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s “Black Brain Trust.”
In 1904, she founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School for Negro Girls, which evolved into what is now known as Bethune-Cookman University in Daytona Beach, Florida.
I longed to do something for my race, especially for the girls and women; to help bring order out of the chaos we see around us.
She started the National Council of Negro Women (NCNW) in 1935, serving as its president until 1949. During this time, she formed coalitions with other women’s groups. She also created the Bethune Beach resort community in the 1940s as an alternative to the segregated waterfront areas along the Atlantic Ocean.
