Page 13 - Florida Sentinel 7-15-22

FLORIDA SENTINEL FRIDAY, JULY 15, 2022
B
Rep. Kathy Castor Unveils
Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune’s Statue At The United States Capitol
On Wednesday, July 13,
Congresswoman Kathy Castor unveiled the Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune statue at the United States Capitol.
The historic statute was unveiled 3 days after Dr. Bethune’s 146th birthday.
Dr. Bethune repre- sents the State of Florida in the National Statuary Hall State Collection and will be the first African American to represent any state in the collection. Dr. Bethune took the place of an obscure confederate general who has represented Florida in the state collection since 1922. Dr. Bethune is also one of only a few women to represent a state in the 100-statue collection.
Congresswoman Castor stated, “Floridians and Americans deserve a symbol of unity and progress – one where our dynamic and diverse state can resolve to move for- ward together in our de- mocratic tradition. I am grateful for the opportunity to welcome Dr. Bethune to her honored place in Statuary Hall at the U.S. Capitol. Dr. Bethune’s story and legacy is one that resonates with so many Floridians and Americans, and countless generations of visitors will now learn about her life’s work as an educator, Civil Rights leader and force for good.”
Dr. Mary Jane McLeod Bethune was born on July 10, 1875 and died on May 18, 1955. She was an American educator, philanthropist, humanitar- ian, womanist, and civil rights activist.
Dr. Bethune founded the National Council of Negro Women in 1935. She
The statute of Dr. Mary McLeod Bethune unveiling in Washington, D. C.
presided as president and leader for a myriad of African American women's organizations including the National Association for Colored Women and the National Youth Adminis- tration's Negro Division.
She also was appointed as a national adviser to president Franklin D. Roosevelt, whom she worked with to create the Federal Council on Colored Affairs, also known as the Black Cabinet.
She is most well - known for starting a pri- vate school for Black students in Daytona Beach, Florida.
It later continued to de- velop as Bethune-Cookman University.
Dr. Bethune was the sole African American woman officially a part of
the U.S. delegation that created the United Nations charter.
She held a leadership position for the American Women's Voluntary Serv- ices founded by Alice Throckmorton McLean.
For her lifetime of ac- tivism, she was deemed "acknowledged First Lady of Negro America" by Ebony magazine in July 1949 and was known by the Black Press as the "Female Booker T. Washing- ton”.
She was known as "The First Lady of The Struggle" because of her commit- ment to gain better lives for Black people.
In Tampa, the Bethune Residences at West River are named after Dr. Bethune.
DR. MARY MCLEOD BETHUNE