Indigo Blue

                                                         Ralph Waldo Emerson once said, “Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” There are certain people that have the utmost determination to make a difference in other people’s lives. Some of these trailblazers are born with the resources to thrive and some are born into humble circumstances. This story is about a woman who was born in a small log cabin in Sumter County and died a frequent visitor to the White House in Washington. The life of Mary McLeod Bethune was one lived with strength, determination and goodwill towards all people, no matter what their race or social standing was in life.

    Mary Jane McLeod was born on July 10, 1875 to Samuel and Patsy McLeod in Mayesville, South Carolina. Both of Mary’s parents were ex-slaves who worked a rice and cotton farm in eastern Sumter County. Mary was the 15th of 17 children. Many of her brothers and sisters had also felt the cold shackles of slavery. Mary McLeod saw the sacrifice her parents made each day and promised herself that persons of color would one day have a voice. As a young child McLeod encountered many of the same roadblocks that plagued African Americans in the 19th Century. At this time the vast majority of black people were illiterate, mostly due to the lack of opportunity. Mary was interested in books but was told by white children that African Americans could not read. She used this example as a platform for change.

    In 1886 the Presbyterian Mission Board set up a school for African American children in Sumter. Mary made the four mile trek to school each day without complaint. She excelled in school, displaying her natural born leadership skills. In her early teens Mary was selected to attend Scotia Seminary in North Carolina on a scholarship. She excelled at Scotia and went on to win another scholarship to the present day Moody Bible Institute in Chicago. During her time at the institute she worked toward becoming a missionary to Africa. She was told that blacks were not needed for this endeavor so she turned to the field of education.

    At the age of 21 Mary was hired to teach at Haines Normal and Industrial School in Augusta, Georgia. There she learned rigid discipline and structure from Lucy Craft Laney. Laney founded the school and ran it with meticulous precision.  Ms. McLeod was at  Haines for just one year but learned many valuable lessons from Laney. Mary was transferred back to Sumter County in 1897 to teach at Kindell Institute. Here she met and fell in love with Albertus Bethune. After a short courtship Mary and Albertus were married and Bethune gave birth to son Albert the next year. Soon after the birth of her son Mrs. Bethune was persuaded by a visiting minister from Palatka, Florida to manage a mission school he had started. For five years Mary did a brilliant job teaching young people at the school. She was a frequent visitor to the local jail, teaching imprisoned people to read and handed out hope to those who needed her most. Mary enjoyed her time here but felt it was time to start her own school.

    When the time came to pick a location for the new school Bethune picked the popular tourist destination of Daytona, Florida. In the fall of 1904 Mary opened the Daytona Educational and Industrial Training School. She wanted to make young women self sufficient and responsible in society. Mary and Albertus had a  rocky marriage and eventually parted ways. They never divorced but remained on good terms until Albert passed away in 1918. Even through hard times in her private life Mary stuck to the task of creating a successful school. Money was scarce but her will was strong. In three short years enrollment grew from five to four hundred students! Humble beginnings and hard work were greeted by a new sprawling campus with thirty two acres and a farm. In just two decades the school had flourished. Cookman College of Jacksonville merged with her school to create the co-educational Bethune-Cookman College.

    Bethune’s leadership skills made her a natural for positions in the political realm. She became president of the Florida chapter of the National Association of Colored Women (NACW) in 1917. During this time she was harassed by the Ku Klux Klan. They threatened her repeatedly to no avail. When women were granted the 19th Amendment Mary made sure African Americans hit the voting polls. She had endured many hardships and overcome many obstacles. The Klan was little match for her spirit and strong will. By 1924 she had become the National President of the NACW and became a noted public speaker.

    Mary McLeod Bethune’s leadership was finally being noted on a national level. President Calvin Coolidge invited her to the National Child Welfare Conference of 1928. Coolidge was inspired by her passionate stance on educating America’s youth. Two years later Herbert Hoover tabbed her as a member on the White House Child Health Conference. Bethune was also heavily involved with the National Youth Administration. This program helped young adults find employment in the Depression ravaged 1930’s. Some of Bethune’s greatest achievements came during the administration of Franklin D. Roosevelt. Bethune and Eleanor Roosevelt had become very close friends by the time her husband started his twelve year run as president. Mary encouraged black people to support Roosevelt in the elections. Eleanor and Franklin wanted to see the wall of segregation knocked down forever. Mary McLeod Bethune, as she had done many times before, stood up for ideals she knew were meant for all Americans.

    Bethune formed a group of African American leaders called the Federal Council of Negro Affairs. This became more commonly known as Roosevelt’s “Black Cabinet”. Mary became a regular in the White House and used her influence to continue fighting for civil rights for all people.  By the time Roosevelt left office Mary McLeod Bethune was arguably the most famous African American woman in the United States. In 1948 she was the lone woman of color at the founding of the United Nations. In her last years she collected many honors including the Medal of Honor and Merit from Haiti in 1949 and the Star of Africa from Liberia in 1952. Mary McLeod Bethune suffered a fatal heart attack, passing on May 18, 1955. Ironically this was just months before Rosa Parks made history with the Montgomery Bus Boycott. Bethune had paved the way for change, giving many civil rights leaders a vision and a voice.

    Many of these changes might not have been possible if not for the selfless sacrifice and determination of one Mary Jane McLeod Bethune. Bethune said of her life, “Faith is the first factor in a life devoted to service. Without it, nothing is possible. With it, nothing is impossible.” That sums up the empowered life of one of South Carolina’s greatest native daughters. Through her faith, hope and determination the impossible became possible.