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Reflections Of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune: The Power Of United Womanhood
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune and members of the National Council of Negro Women. Bethune-Cookman University Photo Collection.
Actress Viola Davis To Speak During USF Lecture Series
The University of South Florida will host a popular award winning actress on
th
April 4 . Ms. Viola Davis
will be a guest speaker during a weeklong celebration of Bull Pride.
She will address the audi- ence as part of the University Lecture Series. It will be held in the Marshall Student Cen- ter Ballroom, beginning at 7:45 p.m. Seating is limited and the USF students have first priority, officials said.
A native of South Car- olina, Ms. Davis is the only African American performer to win a Tony, Oscar, and
VIOLA DAVIS
Emmy Award. She is also the only Black woman to be nom- inated for three Academy
Awards, winning one of them. She is also the only Black to win the Triple Crown of Acting.
She launched her career after graduating from the Juilliard School of Perform- ing Arts, in 1993. She made her Broadway debut 3 years later.
Some of the roles Ms. Davis is known for include: How To Get Away With Murder, (television), Seven Guitars, and King Hedley II (Broadway) Fences, The Help, Ender’s Game, among oth- ers.
As we continue to cele- brate Women’s History Month, Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune is celebrated as one the world’s most amaz- ing and impactful women. She dedicated her life to service, education and lead- ership. She is the founder of the great Bethune-Cookman University and the National Council of Negro Women.
Dr. Bethune made women’s issues a top prior- ity; and often spoke on women’s ability to uplift and unite communities. Today’s society is facing so many challenges and many of the words she spoke in a 1945 address to the National Council of Negro Women still hold true:
“Today, while our hearts are full of grief and anxiety, we feel the challenge and the opportunity for the signifi- cant services of women as never before. As we come to the beginning of the end of the war effort, we face a pe- riod fraught with many problems, whose solution offers an unusual opportu- nity and a distinct challenge to women.
“Victory in the fight for freedom for all people will still leave the stupendous task of making world peace a reality. This peace will de- pend upon the broadening of our understanding of human relationships and the sharpening of our conscious- ness of human welfare. To accomplish this task, a great crusade in human relations must take place. Individual dignity and the sanctity of human personality must be universally recognized.
“Public opinion must be crystalized in terms of the things which make for free- dom, justice, security and peace. The home and the community are the centers from which must come a great spiritual awakening for the appreciation by each one of us of the needs, aspira- tions and the desires of the most humble individual in every community the world over.
“The home and the com- munity are close to the heart, soul and mind of every woman, and so the challenge to women to give the kind of leadership neces- sary for the building of a new world.”
(Excerpt from Dr. Bethune’s “The Power of United Womanhood”, Feb- ruary 1945).
Dr. Bethune under- stood the power of unity, hu- manity and spirituality. She was very vocal about the role and importance of women to this world. Dr. Bethune believed that in order for there to be hope for the greater good, there couldn’t be a separation of the peo- ple. Therefore, she encour- aged unity in an effort to benefit everyone. Dr. Bethune was a woman of vision and tenacity. She fol- lowed her purpose in life; and it has impacted several generations and will con- tinue to do so for years to come.
Submitted by:
School of Religion Bethune-Cookman Univer- sity
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