Mary McLeod Bethune

(noun)

An American educator and civil rights leader best known for starting a school for African-American students in Daytona Beach, Florida, that eventually became Bethune-Cookman University. She was an adviser to President Franklin D. Roosevelt as one of his Black Cabinet's members and a close friend of Eleanor Roosevelt.

Related Terms

Examples of Mary McLeod Bethune in the following topics:

  • Women in American Politics

    • Pierre Ruffin and Mary Church Terrell, is one of the oldest political groups created for and by African-American women.
    • Another organization, the National Council of Negro Women, was founded in 1935 by civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune and was more involved in African-American politics with the aim to improve the quality of life for African-American women and families.

  • Eleanor Roosevelt

    • She was explicit in her support of civil rights for black Americans, did not hide her agenda from the often critical public eye, challenged her husband's political opponents and allies (especially racist white Southerners), and sought attention for the civil rights cause through relationships and close friendships with black leaders, most notably Mary McLeod Bethune, the founder of the National Council of Negro Women, member of the Black Cabinet, and director of the Division of Negro Affairs at the National Youth Administration. and Walter White, the NAACP's executive secretary and anti-lynching legislation activist.