Our Pledge

DR. MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE was born in 1875, the fifteenth of seventeen children of former slaves. By the time of her birth, her parents owned a small farm near Mayesville, South Carolina. Deeply religious, they encouraged their curious daughter to attend a missionary school where she thrived. The young Mary McLeod became so enthralled with learning that she won a scholarship to continue her studies at Scotia Seminary for Negro Girls in North Carolina, and spent one year at the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. It was during her time at Scotia and Moody that she developed her philosophy of “female uplift” and her passion for educating girls for leadership in their communities. In 1904, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune founded the Daytona Educational and Industrial School for Negro Girls with $1.50, Faith in God, and five negro girls. In 1923, Bethune successfully negotiated the merger of her school with the Cookman Institute in Jacksonville, Florida. Together, they created Bethune-Cookman College. By the time of the merger, she was already a highly respected leader in Black education and among Black women’s clubs including President of the National Association of Colored Women, President of the Southeastern Federation of Colored Women’s Clubs, and the National Association of Teachers in Colored Schools. In 1935, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women. Her work with national organizations and her involvement in political advocacy led to an invitation from President Herbert Hoover to attend a White House conference in 1930. Bethune capitalized on the invitation and left the conference a leading advocate and voice for African Americans in the United States. Bethune had a close friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt which was instrumental in gaining regular access to the President. By 1939, she became the Director of Negro Affairs. As Director, Bethune was the highest-paid African American in government at the time — with a $5,000 salary. Under her role as Director, NYA established a “Negro College and Graduate Fund” that supported over 4,000 students in higher education. Her legacy continued after her death in May of 1955. She is the first Black woman to have a national monument dedicated to her at the nation’s capital. Schools, public parks, and streets have been named in her honor. One of her greatest legacies, Bethune-Cookman University, remains one of the top fifty Historically Black Colleges and Universities in the country.