Ida's List Day One Mary Mcleod Bethune

(Educator, Author Activist and African American Leader)

orn July 10, Maysville South Carolina to former slaves she started working as a field hand at the tender age of 5, early in her life she grew a strong passion for education with hard work, dedication and working for many white families as a domestic worker she attended and graduated from Scotia Seminary School (now Barber Scotia Seminary) on a scholarship. Mrs. Bethune had aspirations to go into the ministry as a missionary she attended the Moody Bible institute but when she was told that there was not a need for Black Missionaries in Africa she decided on a career as a teacher. After Marrying Albertus Bethune and having one son Albert together Mrs. Bethune began working briefly as a teacher at her former elementary school under her former teacher Lucy Craft Laney who started the first Black School for Children. Mrs. Bethune looked up to Mrs. Laney as innovator and an educator who had zeal and passion for educating Black Children, Mrs. Bethune patterned after her mentor by starting an all-girl school for Black Girls in Daytona Beach, Florida in 1904. In order to maintain her school she required that her students paid $1.05 in tuition she also used fundraising tactics like selling sweet. Potato pies, ice cream and Fried Fish, going door to door for donations and even asking local white businessmen for endowments on many occasions Mrs. Bethune had to bite the bullet of overt racism with the comments that the White Businessmen would say about African Americas and Education but she did it for the common good of African Americans and education. Soon after Mrs. Bethune School expanded with more students and more courses in Business and Science Soon her one room school became Cookman College and Later on Bethune Cookman University. She also acquired a reputation of being a public leader from 1917-1925 she was the President of the National Association of Colored women In 1935 she started her own organization The National Council of Negro Women she also went around Daytona Beach as a speaker encouraging and engaging African Americans about the need for a quality education as years flew by she became a revered and a respected leader Mrs. Bethune was appointed to the National Youth Administration as a member of the Black Cabinet she is a pioneer in the Field of education, leadership, civil rights and advocacy.

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